Crossposted from Hillbilly Report.
With the passage of the climate bill in the House today it is time for us to focus on creating jobs by saving our planet. I have long believed that their are millions of jobs to be created in researching, developing, growing and refining the fuels of the future. It is not only the smart thing to do, in generational perspective it might just be the healthy thing for all.
Despite the Corporate doomsayers our economy and working Americans could benefit from this transition to the fuels and jobs of the future. It just so happens too that those same doomsayers are the ones who have waged constant war on American workers:
Since 2000, 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost and corporations have shipped more than 525,000 white-collar jobs overseas. At the same time, energy costs are skyrocketing. A bold plan is needed to revitalize the American economy and lessen our energy needs.
http://www.workingamerica.org/...
Green Jobs could definately be a viable solution to our failed economy. Done right the creation of Green jobs could make a huge difference:
One solution is supporting green jobs, which will create thousands of new, good-paying jobs and help curb energy costs. We must demand that politicians get behind green jobs, instead of looking out for Big Oil.
A "green job" is more than just a job with an environmental consciousness. Green jobs provide a livable wage and a career ladder to move workers into higher-skilled occupations. Green jobs mean a sustainable economy, where environmental goals go hand in hand with social and economic goals.
There are many potential areas to create such jobs:
Modernizing the electrical grid;
Retrofitting buildings;
Mass transit;
Energy-efficient automobiles;
Wind power;
Solar power; and
Cellulosic biofuels.
In the rural areas of America cellulosic biofuels hold great promise at revitalizing regions and communities:
Creation of new, good-paying jobs: 820,000 could be created nationwide;
Increased demand for occupations in which workers already are trained—such as construction, welding and electrical—which could drive up wages for all workers in those fields. In every state, there are hundreds of thousands of jobs which could see job growth or wage increase in a green jobs economy;
Enormous potential for energy savings and good jobs by modernizing and extending the 160,000 miles of high transmission lines that make up the electrical grid. This will increase energy efficiency by an estimated 20 percent and provide new, smart access for renewable energy projects;
Rebuilding America's manufacturing and industrial base by creating and keeping jobs here;
Creation of new domestic energy sources, which will curb skyrocketing energy costs and help take control back from special interests like Big Oil.
With breakthroughs in biomass and farm fuels states like mine, in Kentucky and many of our centrally located rural states could boom with jobs growing and refining fuel for our own country's consumption. We already have the means to ship it.
America does need to get serious about creating new industries and jobs for the future. If that is the result of the climate change bill I think it's passage was a good thing.