Renewable Energy Is More Promising for Jobs than Dirty Coal

By Kevin Grandia, Huffington Post. Posted August 4, 2008.

Transitioning to renewable energy sources promises significant global job gains at a time when the coal industry has been hemorrhaging jobs for years.

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Does Obama need to keep touting "clean coal" as part of the solution to America's energy and economic woes?

While coal is abundant in the United States, it is far from the clean-as-driven snow energy source that coal industry lobbyists would like us all to think and according to new report out today it is hardly the answer to America's economic problems.

The report released recently by the WorldWatch Institute finds that a transition to renewable energy sources promises significant global job gains at a time when the coal industry has been hemorrhaging jobs for years.

An estimated 2.3 million people worldwide currently work either directly in renewables or indirectly in supplier industries. The solar thermal industry employs at least 624,000 people, the wind power industry 300,000, and the solar PV industry 170,000. More than 1 million people work in the biomass and biofuels sector, while small-scale hydropower employs 39,000 individuals and geothermal employs 25,000.

Jeff Biggers points out that the coal-grown Appalachian region in West Virginia is a potential boom-town for wind power:

If Senator Barack Obama ever needs a living symbol of change we can believe in, and a hopeful way to transcend the dirty politics of our failed energy policies, he should go and see the future of renewable energy in the Coal River Valley in West Virginia.

The environmental impacts of so-called "clean coal" show that it is far from clean, in fact it is downright filthy. Unless, of course, you don't mind a little Mercury in your breast milk or a slight case of black lung.

While the rest of the world is well down the path of a clean, renewable energy revolution, our most environmentally-friendly presumptive Presidential candidate is still touting a dirty, job-killing, planet-warming energy source as an integral part of our future and our children's future.

It doesn't need to be this way. Does it?

See more stories tagged with: renewable energy, coal, wind, clean energy, jobs, green jobs, appalachia

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Plasma Converters Used to Clean up Coal Power [Report this comment] Posted by: TejasDan on Aug 4, 2008 4:22 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Coal burned in conjuction with a plasma converter system greatly reduces pollution and many existing coal power plants are being retrofitted with this new technology now. Clean coal is a reality, its not a perfect system but it is far more viable than many of the alternatives. General Electric is one company working to advance this technology. It uses the same principle as Plasma arc waste disposal which has been promoted as the cleanest way to deal with industrial and biological waste and is promissing for the disposal of e-waste as well. Useing it to deal with the pollution from coal is simply the next step toward a greener future. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Obama is just another disappointment [Report this comment] Posted by: kandimba on Aug 5, 2008 3:56 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] He didn't even wait until he was elected to start leaving his alleged principles behind. Not only does he defend the myth of clean coal but he has also changed his mind about supporting offshore drilling. Is this an environmental candidate? No, he's just another corporate muppet. Real change in the US won't come from the bi-partisan politics (the two single parties system). Elected presidents just obey to the interests of the corporations that funded their campaigns. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] 100% Green Energy; Is It Getting Easier To Find? [Report this comment] Posted by: PeaceThinkTank.org on Aug 6, 2008 12:24 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I cannot sign up for green power as my utility company has me locked up tight, with no way out. Most states are like this. It is part of the problem, because consumers cannot even choose green power if they want it. We need to deregulate all states nationwide. As more states deregulate, more people will have the DIRECT power to choose 100% green energy, from a competitive source.. Currently only Texas and New York are fully deregulated and offer at least some of their citizens a choice of where to buy their energy, including the choice to buy 100% green, renewable energy. For a free electric rate comparison and to find a 100% green energy source in Texas and New York, go to; http://www.aaagreenenergy.com You should find savings of 4-28% from your present utility bill. New customers also get a free vacation for switching, and travel miles that add up to more vacations, just for using electricity that you already use. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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