Duke Study Looks Into Green Job Growth in US

Via Renewable Energy World:

21 November 2008

North Carolina, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

Green collar present the next frontier for U.S. manufacturing, says a new report from Duke University. Highlighting the direct linkages between low-carbon technologies and U.S. jobs, Duke researchers say U.S. manufacturing is poised to grow in a low-carbon economy. Their report, "Manufacturing Climate Solutions," provides a detailed look at the manufacturing jobs that already exist and would be created when the U.S. takes action to limit global-warming pollution.

"Until now, there was no tangible evidence of what the jobs are, how they are created and what it means for U.S. workers. We are providing that here," said Gary Gereffi, a Duke professor of sociology and lead author of the report. "We don't guess where the jobs are; we name them. Our report uses value chains to show that clean technology jobs are also real economy jobs."

Researchers from Duke's Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) looked at five carbon-reducing technologies with potential for future green job creation:

• concentrating solar power
• LED lighting
• high-performance windows
• auxiliary power units for long-haul trucks
• Super Soil Systems (a new method for treating hog wastes)

According to the report's finding there are hidden economic opportunities that exist within the supply chains that provide parts and labor for these five industries. The report includes a detailed breakdown of the supply chains and maps highlighting the location of companies positioned to support green jobs. States that stand to benefit most from jobs in these sectors include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.

"This report shows that each climate solution creates significant positive ripple effects throughout the economy in the labor and materials needed to supply low carbon technologies and products," said Abraham Breehey, director of legislative affairs for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. "It demonstrates the real economic opportunity in the solutions to the climate crisis."

A copy of the study can be downloaded from Duke University.