Hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. already possess the vast majority of skills and occupations necessary to make the shift to a clean energy economy, according to a new report released today by a coalition of conservation and labor groups.
The report, titled Job Opportunities for the Green Economy, takes a state-by-state look at existing jobs skills across a wide range of occupations and income levels and concludes that workers at every skill level will enjoy greater job security in key industries.
"Achieving a clean energy economy through green industries like wind and solar are just part of the story. This report is also about job security. Making homes and offices more energy efficient not only saves money and energy, but also represents growth opportunities for workers who build our communities and keep them running," said Dan Lashof, director of National Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Climate Center, which commissioned the report.
The report quantifies the number of workers who can apply their skills to six categories of green industries building retrofitting, mass transit, fuel-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power, and cellulosic biomass fuels.
"The commitment to a clean energy economy will not only lead to quality jobs in manufacturing unions and the building trades. It will help stop good-paying jobs from continuing to be exported," Leo W. Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers, said.
Job Opportunities for the Green Economy studies employment conditions in 12 states Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. While the report focuses on specific states, it shows that the vast majority of green jobs are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, in every region and state of the country.
For instance, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies on roofers, insulators and electricians, to name a few.
"Everyone is talking about how the transition to a clean energy future will create millions of new green jobs," said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This report shows that millions of Americans are already working in exactly the kinds of jobs we’ll need to build that clean energy future. Those millions and millions more-from steelworkers to software engineers-stand to benefit from implementing the clean energy solutions we need to fight global warming."
"Green jobs" are defined in the report as occupations that contribute toward building or producing goods to achieve a ‘green’ marketplace. At the same time, it links the idea that green jobs should be sustainable employment opportunities–that is, jobs that pay at least a living wage, offer training and promotional opportunities and some measure of security.
The report was authored by Robert Pollin and Jeanette Wicks-Lim of the Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and commissioned by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). It is being released in cooperation with the Green Jobs for America Campaign, a partnership of the Sierra Club, Blue Green Alliance, United Steelworkers, NRDC and with the Center for American Progress and Green for All.
Loading...