May 2009
The US House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to pass legislation soon to introduce a cap and trade system and promote renewable energies. Opponents claim that ambitious climate action would harm the US economy and threaten jobs. However, a look across the Atlantic indicates that the opposite is true. This short overview shows that in particular the support of renewable energies triggers a significant boost to the economy and creates hundred thousands of new jobs. In countries like Germany already today more people work in renewable energy industries than in the coal and nuclear sector together. By 2020 more than 500,000 workers will become employed in Germany’s renewable energy sector. In addition to creating new jobs, the economic benefits of renewable energies already outweigh the avoided costs for fossil fuels and environmental damages. Read more here
