How we Can

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and

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5 Million Green Jobs

1sky.org

In Collaboration with

SKY

CLIMATE.

FUTURE.

CHANCE.

Global warming represents not just an environmental crisis but an economic crisis as well. A recent report estimatesthat doing nothing to mitigate climate change will cost theU.S. economy more than 3.6% of GDP, or $3.8 trillion.

PaulVolcker, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve underPresident Reagan, has atly stated that “if [nothing is done,] you can be sure that the economy will go down the drain inthe next thirty years.”

Yet within this crisis lies a tremendous opportunity. Thesolutions to global warming are not just a guard againstfuture economic ruin; they are also the solutions to ourcurrent economic stagnation and unemployment. Ameri-can businesses, communities and households will grow andprosper if our nation pivots to a clean energy economy.Public and private investment in wind, solar, geothermalenergy and in energy efcient buildings, automobiles, andappliances can catalyze new businesses and jobs while solv-ing the climate change problem. Building a newer, smarterand more equitable 21st century economy is the criticalnext step to keeping our country strong in the face of eco-nomic insecurity.The American people are ready for change, but it willrequire bold political leadership to kick our economy intohigh gear. 1Sky and our thousands of allied organizationsand individuals nationwide are rallying around a call for 5million new green jobs because we understand that the cli-mate challenge isn’t just about solving problems—it’s aboutcreating opportunities. Now is the time to re-build ournation’s economy, making it stronger and more inclusivethan ever before.

G ree n-Co l la r Jo b:

a we l l- pa id, ca ree r- t ra c k jo b t ha t co n t r i b u tes d i rec t l y to p rese r v i ng o r e n ha nc i ng e n v i ro n me n ta l q ua l i t y.

The 1Sk Solutions

are grounded inscientic necessity—they representwhat is needed to dramatically reducecarbon emissions and avoid the impend-ing climate crisis. They offer enormouseconomic promise, with a focus on cre-ating jobs, opportunity and strongercommunities through investments inclean energy and conservation.•

Create 5 million new green jobs

andpathways out of poverty focused onclimate solutions like energy efciency.•

Reduce global warming pollution

atleast 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 andat least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

•

Impose a moratorium on new coalplants

and end our dependence onoil through strong standards andincentives for energy efficiency andrenewable energy.

Global warming is one of the greatest challenges our nation and worldhas ever faced. The climate crisis is not a threat in the distant future—it’s happening now. Worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are increas-ing so quickly, scientists say, that our society’s response in the next few years will determine our future.

Green-collar jobs are real and are already being createdacross America. In Texas, the wind industry is creatingthousands of jobs and millions of dollars of new income forlandowners and communities.

In California, the new Mil-lion Solar Roofs program

has created unprecedented demandfor skilled workers installing millions of cost-cutting solarpanels across the state. As of August 2008, 97 new geothermalpower projects were under development in 13 states, produc-ing more than 7,000 permanent full-time jobs.

Positions inthe green economy run the gamut from entry level to highlyskilled and everything in between,

with opportunities foradvancement as high-growth industries continue to expand.Communities everywhere are recognizing that green jobscan ght poverty, pollution, and global warming at the sametime. Most green jobs are existing occupations that are beingupgraded and repurposed to build a green economy. Andmost green-collar jobs are community-based, with the poten-tial to revitalize specic regions and neighborhoods, sharingnew opportunities equitably.

Since green-collar jobs focus ontransforming the immediate natural and built environment,they are harder—and in many cases impossible—to moveoffshore. No one will ship a building from Detroit to be retro-tted in China. And with transportation costs skyrocketing,manufacturers increasingly rely on domestic production of component parts for renewable energy industries.

Green-Collar Jobs Stabilize the Econom

Coal, nuclear, and fossil fuel production are capital-rather than labor-intensive. Conversely, a program toretrofit offices, manufacturing plants, and homes withenergy efficient technologies will create demand for weld-ers, electricians, carpenters, and thousands of others whoproduce the energy-saving high-efficiency results we need.If we allow the dirty economy to prevail, we will continueto rely on increasingly expensive fossil fuels. Building a vast web of mass transit and converting our auto plants toproduce plug-in hybrid vehicles is a process that will relyon a steady stream of skilled American workers—not onfossil fuels.As our economy grows, we have some important decisionsto make. Replacing old coal plants with more coal plants cre-ates no new opportunities.

However, if we level the playingeld for renewable energy and energy efciency by capping global warming pollution and creating the right incentives,high-growth clean technologies will replace our aging fossil

024681012SolarPVBiomass Wind LandfillGasNaturalGasCoal Nuclear

JOBS PER MEGAWATT OFELECTRICITY IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES

High EndLow End

POWER SOURCE

J O B S P E R M E G A W A T T

Geo-thermal

Job estimates are attributable to the manufacturing, installation, and operations of each power source. Variance between high and low end estimates are a function of deployment scale, and whether or not equipment is manufactured domestically.

Sources: Renewable Energy Policy Project, Renewable Energy and Appropriate Laboratories.Nuclear Energy Institute, and The State of California.

fuel based infrastructure, creating new jobs and dramaticallyreducing pollution at the same time. For example, a rangeof studies show conclusively that renewable energy “gener-ates more jobs per megawatt of power installed, per unit of energy produced, and per dollar of investment,” than fossilfuel energy

(see graph).

5 Million New Jobs: A Realit I We Act Boldl

Creating 5 million new green jobs in the US is not a pipe-dream. It is a conservative estimate of what we can do withpolitical commitment to a smart, clean energy economy.One recent report shows that the U.S. can create two mil-lion jobs over two years by investing $100 billion in a greeneconomic recovery plan. The report also shows that thisinvestment would create four times more jobs than spend-ing the same amount of money within the oil industry.

Public investment and complementary policies will eachresult in job creation, and ensure job retention.

In thepast few years the nearly-expired Production Tax Creditand Investment Tax Credit for wind and solar have sparkedhuge growth in the renewable energy sector. Over 100,000 jobs could have potentially disappeared if Congress hadn’trenewed the tax credits in October 2008. In Ohio speci-cally, more than 50% of the current green jobs are in themanufacturing sector and the state boasts many moremiddle-skilled manufacturing workers ready to take on new