The U.S. Conference of Mayors commissioned a report in October 2008 entitled “Green Jobs in U.S. Metro Areas” which documented the impact that green jobs has had, and is projected to have, on the economies of many of the nation’s largest cities. This report, written by Global Insight for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is one of the best pieces of documentary evidence of the effect green jobs have on cities that invest in renewable energy and carbon reduction.
Some of the benefits to the economy cited in this study are:
–Improvements to the balance of trade as we stop importing so much fossil fuel and start to export new energy efficient technologies;
–Improved tax rolls and sales as people gain stable employment in good green jobs;
–Carbon reductions that benefit city governments, homes and businesses in communities that concentrate on carbon reduction;
–Improvement in the air and water quality surrounding communities that choose to reduce emissions and the impact that these savings have cumulatively on the earth by reducing the rate of climate change.
As of 2006 the U.S. Conference of Mayors report estimated the following number of green jobs in these major metropolitan areas:
New York 25,021
Wash DC 24,287
Houston 21,250
Los Angeles 20,136
Boston 19,799
Chicago 16,120
Philadelphia 14,379
San Francisco 13,848
San Diego 11,663
Pittsburgh 9,627
There were around 751,000 green jobs in major job categories that are known for heavily investing in green jobs throughout the U.S. It was estimated that 85 percent of these jobs were in metropolitan areas.
There are many things cities can do to help green jobs flourish: giving incentives to new green businesses, requiring retrofitting of buildings and public transportation to improve energy efficiency, giving loans and grants to citizens to weatherize, building new efficient modes of mass transit, supporting green job training programs, requiring through building codes that new buildings meet LEED standards.
There is a ripple effect that then occurs. People who get trained for green collar jobs help their communities to become better weatherized and more energy efficient. This saves money which can then be reinvested in goods and services. As green collar workers help themselves with better incomes, that allows more people to buy homes and shop for more goods and services. This encourages people in the construction industry to build more homes and apartments and allows retail stores to expand and hire more workers. Communities grow and thrive while more energy efficient communities save money on fuel and contribute to a cleaner environment.
If the U.S. Conference of Mayors report is correct there will be enough additions to renewable power generation, energy efficiency and retrofitting, renewable transportation fuels, and indirect jobs related to these industries that 2.5 million green jobs will be created by 2018 and 4.5 million jobs by 2038. These are fairly conservative estimates compared to other studies. The report shows the estimates by metropolitan area and by industry for the 2006 to 2038 comparison of green jobs.
Green communities clearly create green jobs and these jobs contribute to healthier economies in the long run.
Tags: green collar jobs, green communities, green economy, Green Jobs
