Global warming and unsustainable energy dependence are the foremost environmental issues of our time; they are also the signature economic issues of our day, providing enormous risks to future economic growth and unparalleled opportunities to create jobs and launch a different model of economic development.
America’s energy future must create millions of new jobs; reduce our dependence on oil; shift American energy production toward cleaner, cheaper sources like wind and solar; reduce global warming pollution; and protect the planet for our children and grandchildren.
In many places, a shift to wind energy is well under way. An American Wind Energy Association report shows that last year more than 8,000 megawatts of new generating capacity was added – that’s 42 percent of all the new power-producing capacity in the United States and the equivalent of seven new large coal plants. Employing more than 85,000 people, up from 50,000 a year ago, the wind industry continues to grow.
The American Solar Energy Society reports that in 2007, renewable energy and energy efficiency provided more than 9 million jobs and $1.045 billion in revenue in the United States – and that as many as 37 million jobs can be generated by the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in the country by 2030. This is more than 17 percent of all anticipated U.S. employment.
