Green jobs – would $150 billion create 5 million of them?

Published by The Editors | Filed under policy

A comprehensive energy policy that includes investing $150 billion to help create green jobs is a top priority for the new Presidential administration. Details are emerging on the types of jobs that may be created.

The jobs would include insulation installers, to make houses more energy-efficient, wind-turbine builders, to displace coal-fired electricity, and construction workers, to build greener buildings and upgrade the electrical grid.

Studies mentioned estimate that green energy investments would create four times as many jobs as comparably priced investments in traditional (fossil fuel based) energy investments. Increases in these green jobs would invariably lead to job losses in other industries. That’s why we’ll need investment in job retraining to allow workers in traditional energy industries to make the transition.