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What you should know about what's in the news.
Celebrating Earth Day With Green Jobs
Today is Earth Day. One of the stated principles of Earth Day, according to the official Web site, is the “creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.”
By Christy Harvey, Mic Check Radio
April 22, 2009
Two workers with Mercury Solar Systems install panels on the roof of a home in Newburgh, NY. (AP/Craig Ruttle)
Know Five Things
1. Job Creation
- A study by RAND and the University of Tennessee concluded that “if 25% of all American energy were produced from renewable sources by 2025, we would generate at least 5 million new green jobs.” [Time Magazine]
- The Jobs: A study by the Center for American Progress shows spending $100 billion on a Green Recovery program over two years would create 2 million new jobs, a significant portion of which would fall in the struggling construction and manufacturing sectors. [CAP]
2. Green Jobs = Efficient Investment
- Investment in renewable energy sectors creates more jobs than in traditional energy sectors. The Apollo Alliance reports “renewable energy creates more jobs than coal: the same investment creates 50% more jobs in wind and in solar than in coal. Energy efficiency is far more labor intensive than generation, creating 21.5 jobs for every $1 million invested, compared to 11.5 jobs for new natural gas generation.” [Apollo Alliance]
- They also save money for everyone. According to a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Americans can “significantly reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills” by implementing green economy legislation that would reduce emissions by 56% below 2005 levels by 2030.
- According to UCS, if that happened, “the average U.S. household would enjoy a net savings of $900 on its energy bills, including $580 on transportation (fuel, vehicle and driving) costs and $320 on electricity, natural gas and heating oil, after investing in home efficiency improvements. Businesses collectively would realize net energy bill savings of $130 billion.” [UCS]
3. The Housing Example
- According to the Department of Energy, the recent stimulus package contains more than $11 billion to help people upgrade their homes to be more energy efficient. [CNN]
- From the Apollo Alliance: “The second leading cause of foreclosures for low-income homeowners is unanticipated utility bills.” [Apollo Alliance]
- From the Apollo Alliance: “New homes constructed to meet the 30% increased efficiency goal will save the average homeowner $512 a year. With a million homes constructed each year, that equals a savings for homeowners of $10.2 billion in energy costs over the next twenty years.” [Apollo Alliance]
4. Companies Going Green
- A new survey by Career Builders reports “one-in-ten employers say they have added ‘green jobs,’ otherwise known as environmentally-focused positions, in the last 12 months.” [PR Newswire]
- Also, the survey found “Seventy percent of companies say they have added programs to be more environmentally conscious in the last year.” These include: Recycling (50 percent), Using less paper (45 percent) and Powering down computers at the end of the day (30 percent)
5. Falling Behind
- China Pulls Ahead: China’s leaders are investing $12.6 million every hour to green their economy. In fact, a recent analysis by HSBC Global Research “projects that nearly 40 percent of China’s proposed $586 billion stimulus plan—$221 billion over two years—is going toward public investment in renewable energy, low-carbon vehicles, high-speed rail, an advanced electric grid, efficiency improvements, and other water-treatment and pollution controls.” That’s “more than six times America’s green stimulus spending as a percentage of our respective economies.” [CAP]
- U.S. Falls Behind: According to the most recent data from the Renewable Energy Policy Network, the U.S. invests less in renewable energy than China or the EU-25. The entire United States “invests less in renewable energy per year than the country of Germany, which boasts less than one-third the population of the United States and an economy less than one-fourth our size.” [CAP]
- U.S. corporations: In testimony in front of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, venture capitalist John Doerr pointed out, “If you list today’s top 30 companies in solar, wind and advanced batteries, American companies hold only 6 spots. That fact should worry us all.” [Senate Committee testimony]
Talk to An Expert
Interested in talking with an expert on this topic or hosting a speaking event? Contact speakers@campusprogress.org.
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