Millions of U.S. Workers Stand to Gain from Green Industries

Workers at every skill level will be in high demand and enjoy greater job security in key industries essential to building a clean-energy economy in America and fighting global warming, according to a new report just released by a coalition of conservation and labor groups.

"Achieving a clean energy economy through green industries like wind and solar are just part of the story. This report is also about job security. Making homes and offices more energy efficient not only saves money and energy, but also represents growth opportunities for workers who build our communities and keep them running," said Dan Lashof, director of NRDC's Climate Center. "We're talking about jobs at every skill level from construction to research, already available here at home."

This groundbreaking report, "Job Opportunities for the Green Economy," takes a state-by-state look at existing jobs skills across a wide range of occupations and income levels that would benefit from America's transition towards a clean energy economy. The report quantifies the number of workers who can apply their skills to six categories of green industries -- building retrofitting, mass transit, fuel-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power, and cellulosic biomass fuels.

"The commitment to a clean energy economy will not only lead to quality jobs in manufacturing unions and the building trades," says Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers. "It will help stop good-paying jobs from continuing to be exported."

Hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. already possess the vast majority of skills and occupations necessary to reduce global warming and make the shift to a clean energy economy. For instance, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies on roofers, insulators and electricians, to name a few.

"Everyone is talking about how the transition to a clean energy future will create millions of new 'green-collar' jobs," said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This report shows that millions of Americans are already working in exactly the kinds of jobs we'll need to build that clean energy future. Those millions and millions more -- from steelworkers to software engineers -- stand to benefit from implementing the clean energy solutions we need to fight global warming."

"Job Opportunities for the Green Economy" studies employment conditions in 12 states -- Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. While the report focuses on specific states, it shows that the vast majority of green jobs are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, in every region and state of the country.

"This report demonstrates that the quickest way to put Americans back to work is through investments in solving global warming, said Dave Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance. "The jobs we'll create are the very jobs our country is losing in the current recession."

"Green jobs" are defined in the report as occupations that contribute toward building or producing goods to achieve a 'green' marketplace. At the same time, it links the idea that green jobs should be sustainable employment opportunities -- that is, jobs that pay at least a living wage, offer training and promotional opportunities and some measure of security.

"This report shows that solving global warming means new investments in jobs and infrastructure, and the reconstruction of our economy," said Bracken Hendricks, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. "As Congress debates climate legislation it should keep in mind that investing in energy efficiency and alternative energy means more opportunity for today's job market including welders and machinists, carpenters, insulators and electrical engineers. In a very real sense, green jobs are America's jobs. We can strengthen career ladders and restore America's middle class by rebuilding our economy to solve global warming."