In this dismal context it is no wonder that a row has broken out in Italy, where control of Telecom Italia recently passed to Pirelli, a tyre and cables group.
Just as telecom companies laid down billions of dollars worth of fibre-optic cables, environmental companies require large amounts of capital for building a wind farm or a tidal barrage or the patience to invest in new technologies, such as cellulosic ethanol or thin-film solar panels.