Green Jobs--Where are They?

The news is full of dire and ominous signs about the state of the U.S. economy. Are we in a double-dip recession? There are literally no jobs out there; employers are not hiring. Clearly, something is amiss--why is the U.S. economy in such a bad condition? The answers to those questions are not clear cut and are certainly for economists, the public, and political pundits to decide. Yet, one solution that has not popped up on anyone's radar scene is the creation of green jobs at least to mitigate the unemployment problem both in the short and long-term. How come very few, if any, so called experts have not discussed the possibility of green jobs as a bridge to at least mitigate the glum news of jobless claims going up every week or month?

Green jobs may be a partial solution since things like the installation of solar panels, wind turbines, along with various research and development jobs can employ many individuals. Yet the government, industry, and others are not actively promoting or putting in the time and effort to bring and offer such opportunities. Is the lack of promotion because some believe green jobs are a myth? Conservative columnist George Will asserts, for example, "the creation of jobs in alternative energy has subtracted about 110,000 jobs elsewhere in Spain's economy" when discussing whether "green jobs" truly exist or not. By Will's logic, therefore, green jobs will backfire by not helping to alleviate the overall unemployment situation in the U.S. since he believes it will result in a net loss of overall jobs. However, Will's assertion that green jobs either do not exist or will detrimentally impact the U.S. economy by causing a net loss of overall jobs is off-base.

Green jobs, in fact, do exist and studies show jobs are created. To illustrate how jobs are created in a green economy, the "RAND Corporation and University of Tennessee found that if 25% of all American energy were produced from renewable sources by 2025, we would generate at least 5 million new green jobs." Clearly, what Will asserts then is not entirely accurate since green jobs will arise once the U.S. makes the investment in renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. The difficulty definitely lies in defining what a green job is.

The lack of a clear definition of what a green job is makes easier for individuals like Will to say "see, green jobs do not exist." Nailing down the definition is essential to showing that green jobs truly exist and are part of solving the unemployment issue here in the U.S. Right now, the definition is too blurry. Once that gets ironed out, green jobs can truly become part of the lexicon in U.S. society.

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