Green Jobs: The next economic growth area

[GoFlyKiteNow]

June 10, 2009, 11:20 am
Study Cites Strong Green Job Growth
By KATE GALBRAITH
NY Times

USA and Europe opt for green job economy to replace pollution based industrial growth.

A new study says that the number of green jobs in the United States grew 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, about two and a half times faster than job growth in the economy as a whole.

The study, from the Pew Charitable Trusts, also breaks down green job growth on a state-by-state basis.

Green jobs are defined here as those belonging to the “clean energy economy,” which the study calls one that “generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.”

Unsurprisingly, California has the most green jobs — more than 125,000 — followed by Texas at over 55,000. Oregon is the only state where green jobs represented more than 1 percent of employment.

Idaho led the way in green job growth, with 126 percent more such jobs over that time period, followed by Nebraska at 109 percent. New Mexico, Oregon and Kansas all posted just above 50 percent green-job growth.

Nine states — including New York and New Jersey — saw the number of green jobs decline from 1998 to 2007, with the largest loss (albeit from a small base) coming in Utah.

A number of states — Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio, as well as the District of Columbia — experienced job losses in the overall economy from 1998 to 2007, but added green jobs.

Over all, some 770,000 jobs in the nation are tied to the clean energy economy, the Pew researchers found — and they predicted more growth in the sector. By way of comparison, the “fossil fuel sector” of utilities, coal mining and oil and gas extraction accounted for 1.27 million jobs in 2007, the study said.

The study also discusses clean technology patents. The lion’s share — nearly 47 percent — of the clean-tech patents registered between 1999 and 2008 have been for batteries (although the number of battery patents is falling). The next largest share was fuel cells at 25.6 percent. Solar accounted for 8.7 percent of total clean-tech patents.

Other studies have forecast green job growth potential as the Obama administration promotes alternative energy sources.

 

[GoFlyKiteNow]

Green collar jobs poised for growth.
Yahoo News

Jobs that stay in USA.

For career changers thinking about growth and advancement potential, forget the blue-collar and white-collar categories: Green is the way to go.

A bull market has begun to develop in green careers and opportunities for job seekers and career changers. Careers promoting environmental responsibility that are now considered cutting edge will become mainstream within a decade, according to Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

"The growth in green careers will be like the Internet boom, which not only created new jobs, but also significantly impacted the overall economy," he says.

Wide Range of New Jobs

A recent study by the Cleantech Network, a venture capital firm for green business, showed that up to half a million new jobs in ecologically responsible trades will blossom in the next three years alone. And jobs will pop up at every income level, from chief sustainability officer to "green" maintenance supervisor. A few job titles poised for growth include:

* green product designer -- designs products that use less energy and raw materials to produce and consume less energy and resources to use.
* energy rating auditor -- performs a comprehensive analysis of a building's energy efficiency. An energy retrofitter can use an auditor's recommendations to create more efficient home heating and cooling systems for existing buildings.
* environmental manager -- coordinates management of organization's environmental performance to protect and conserve natural resources.
* biological systems engineer -- designs, manages, and develops systems and equipment that produce, package, process, and distribute the world's food and fiber supplies.
* permaculture specialist -- analyzes land use and community building to create a harmonious blend of buildings, microclimate, plants, animals, soils, and water.
* urban arborist -- a landscaper or greenskeeper with an understanding of conservation and renewable resources.

In addition, professionals will find opportunities by adding green to their skill sets, from accountants who can manage corporate carbon emission offsets, to zookeepers who must maintain environmentally sensitive and ecologically friendly animal habitats.

More Growth on the Horizon

Part of the growth in green collar jobs will come from government initiatives: The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Green Jobs Act of 2007 that would provide $125 million annually to train people for green vocational fields that offer living wages and upward mobility for low-income communities.

In the private sector, Bank of America launched a $20 billion initiative to support environmentally sustainable business activity to address global climate change, and Citigroup plans to commit $50 billion to environmental projects over the next decade.

With that kind of rapid growth, supply and demand is likely to be unbalanced for a while. "If you look at jobs in solar, wind and renewable energy management, there are very few people with the right training and this could lead to a serious labor shortage," said Rona Fried, president of sustainablebusiness.com, a news and networking service for growing sustainable businesses.

 

[Baroko]

I recall some years ago this PAP gabramen even identified "health spas" as a growing economy when they ran out of ideas how to create employment. Freaking scary, but amusing, that this gabramen was clutching at straws.

So by voting for them our women would be working as masseuse in massage parlours.