Overview Of U.S. Green Job Creation By Sector

The national discussion on the emerging green careers and jobs gets some perspective from this helpful overview of emerging U.S. green industries:

Examiner.com -- Bay Area Green Careers Examiner, Michal Lenchner reports:

"1. Renewable Energy -- Generation: developing and using non-fossil energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Also includes green technological changes to non-renewable sources of energy, such as petroleum, coal, gas, and nuclear. Energy Trading: financial services of trading energy as an economic commodity and carbon trading projects.
Storage: capturing and storing energy and/or carbon emissions.

2. Energy Efficiency -- Increasing energy efficiency, capacity, reliability, and security.
Smart Grid infrastructure, construction, management and optimization. Includes the current and future electric grid, energy generation sources, distribution centers, allocation and wiring.
Service interruptions cost the American economy $100 billion each year. Per the GridWise® Alliance report, 280,000 new U.S. jobs will be created from smart grid deployment (full report: The U.S. Smart Grid jobs report - job creation by KEMA).

3. Transportation-- Increasing efficiency and/or reducing environmental impact of various modes of transportation including passenger transit, freight rail, and trucks.

4. Green Building and Construction -- Construction of new green buildings, retrofitting residential and commercial buildings, and installing other green construction technology.

5. Environmental Protection -- Environmental remediation, water conservation, climate change adaptation, and ensuring or enhancing air and water quality. Agriculture and forestry, efficient land management and farming. Also controlling GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in these sectors. Legislation for conservation and pollution prevention, regulation enforcement, and policy analysis and advocacy.

6. Manufacturing -- Industrial manufacturing of green technology, energy efficient manufacturing processes, environmentally preferred purchasing, and waste management.

7. Recycling, Regeneration and Waste Reduction --Solid waste and wastewater management, treatment, and reduction. Processing/managing recyclable materials.

Note that the green economy will also generate indirectly jobs in research, design, and consulting services, finance, and other related business services. New and enhanced legislation in many industries will be essential and will also require knowledgeable professionals." See full article:

Study: Alternative Energy Would Create 1.9 Million New U.S. Jobs

A recent study by three universities provides an estimate of many new green jobs coming from alternative energy development in the U.S.

Smart Grid News.com reports:

"A collaborative study by three universities concludes that U.S. renewable energy policies could create as many as 1.9 million new jobs around the country. In addition, the study shows that those policies would account for an increase in annual household income of more than $1,000 and that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could increase $111 billion by 2020.

While the study has a long-winded title, Clean Energy & Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation: An Economic Assessment of the American Clean Energy & Security Act and the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act, the news it presents is encouraging." See full article.

Senate Democrats: Climate Bill Good For Jobs

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported out the climate bill over a boycott by committee republicans. Democrats remain confident the legislation will be good for job creation over the long term.

Jim Snyder from The Hill: reports:

"In a statement, Boxer, the chairwoman of the EPW panel, defended the decision to move forward with a vote without participation from committee Republicans.

'The committee and Senate rules that have been in place during Republican and Democratic majorities are there to be used when the majority feels it is in the best interest of their states and of the nation to act,' Boxer said.

'A majority of the committee believes that S. 1733, and the efforts that will be built upon it, will move us away from foreign oil imports that cost Americans one billion dollars a day, it will protect our children from pollution, create millions of clean-energy jobs, and stimulate billions of dollars of private investment.”' See full article.

New Study: 850,000 New Manufacturing Jobs From Clean Energy

The maunfacturing industry will get a boost from clean energy according to a new study:

James Parks for AFL-CIO Blog reports:

"With more than 2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost since the beginning of this recession in December 2007, a new report says developing a clean energy economy in the United States could create some 850,000 new manufacturing jobs.

The report, “Building the Clean Energy Assembly Line: How Renewable Energy Can Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing and the American Middle Class,” by the Blue Green Alliance, recommends major policy changes to build markets for clean energy and provide the financing and capacity building to create clean energy jobs. See full article.