Green Collars the Future of Employment

Up to 40 million Americans -- one out of every four workers -- could be working "green-collar" jobs by 2030 if the U.S. moves aggressively to support renewable energy and energy efficiency, according to a new report from the American Solar Energy Society (ASES).

The report, "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century," says public policy that "pushes the envelope" on energy -- enacting everything from incentives for renewable energy to increased funding for research and development -- could help the U.S. get 30 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Such an approach would also help renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries earn annual revenues of more than $4.5 trillion by then.

Last year, those industries were already earning about $970 billion a year, more than the combined total sales for Wal-Mart, Exxon-Mobil and General Motors combined, according to the report's author, Roger Bezdek, principal investigator with Management Information Services, who compiled the study for the ASES. Renewable-energy and energy-efficiency sectors also employed some 8.5 million people last year.

As defined in Bezdek's report, green-collar workers could be anybody from someone who installs solar panels on homes to accountants and truck drivers who, directly or indirectly, provide services for a green industry.

"The vast majority of the jobs created by (renewable energy and energy efficiency) are standard jobs for accountants, engineers,
computer analysts, clerks, factory workers, truck drivers, mechanics, etc.," Bezdek writes. "In fact, most of the workers employed in these jobs may not even realize that they owe their livelihood to (renewable energy and energy efficiency)."

For his study, Bezdek considered everything from manufacturers of hybrid cars and energy-efficient windows to geothermal power plants and energy-focused government agencies to be part of the renewable-energy or energy-efficiency sector.

The ASES study concludes green industries could generate millions of jobs, including many "that could not be easily outsourced," considerable revenues, energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. However, it adds, achieving those goals won't be easy.

"(W)ithout substantial change in policy, renewable energy is unlikely to significantly increase its share of the U.S. energy market," it warns. "If we refuse to address policy and regulatory barriers to the sustained, orderly development of the (renewable-energy and energy-efficiency) industry, other countries will take the lead and reap the economic and environmental benefits."

American Solar Energy Society, "Green Collar Jobs: The New Cash Crop." URL: (http://www.ases.org/press/2007_jobs_report.htm)