The American economy is in trouble. Unemployment is on the rise, and gas prices are soaring. The health of our planet is also threatened. It's at risk from global warming and our addiction to oil.

There's one good way to tackle all these problems: invest in the clean energy solutions that create green jobs.

What's a green job? One that helps develop and support clean, new technologies that harness renewable energy and move America beyond oil. To accomplish that, the nation will need workers from all facets of the economy. Building wind turbines will mean more jobs for steelworkers; construction workers will be needed to install solar panels. Truck drivers, carpenters, electricians and inspectors will all be central to the effort.

Shifting the nation's focus from fossil fuels to clean energy will create millions of new jobs and help protect the environment by curbing global warming pollution.

Benefits of Green Jobs

Green jobs will provide an immediate boost to the nation’s bottom line because many of the occupations needed for the new economy are already familiar to workers. Trained welders, plumbers and engineers can use their skills to develop renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and green buildings. Green jobs incorporate workers from every socioeconomic background and will help lift many out of poverty. And these new jobs will replace many that have moved overseas or been lost in the economic downturn.

Green jobs are local jobs -- they exist in every community and can't be outsourced. They're good for the environment because they focus on clean, renewable sources of energy, which will help curb global warming and America's dependence on foreign oil.

Here's how green jobs will help put America on the right path:

• Jobs in the green economy include installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings, creating wind farms, improving mass transit systems and refining waste oil into biodiesel.



• In 2006, renewable energy and energy efficient technologies generated 8.5 million new jobs, nearly $970 billion in revenue, and more than $100 billion in industry profits.



• An investment of $100 billion dollars in clean energy would create two million green jobs nationwide over two years.



• The $100 billion investment would create four times the number of jobs -- and triple the number of jobs paying at least $16 per hour -- as the same investment in the oil industry.

By investing in energy efficiency and sustainability, we can solve America's energy crisis, the climate crisis and the economic crisis at the same time.

Green Jobs Now

NRDC and its partners are working to promote green jobs by informing people about the opportunities available in the new economy. Van Jones, founder and president of Green for all, an NRDC partner, is at the forefront of the green economy movement and works with people to prepare them for these new careers.

Jones, an activist and political advisor, envisions a green job corps that helps fight poverty and pollution at the same time. His new book, The Green Collar Economy, provides a blueprint for how we can invent and invest our way to a healthy new economy and a better environment for everyone.

Related NRDC Links

Green Investment Will Yield Two Million New Jobs in Two Years