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Politics : The Environmentalist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: miraje who wrote (26844)	12/12/2009 1:08:31 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 36917

Undertaxed I agree with. The dysfunctional Prop 13. More than anything right now, it's AGW that's effecting unemployment; 40%+ in the Valley ag communities...drought. California leads with 36% growth in 'green' jobs Updated 1h 8m ago By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY Jobs in California's so-called green economy increased by 36% from 1995 to 2008, beating the state's 13% job growth, a study out Wednesday says. The research, by Silicon Valley-based research firm Collaborative Economics, underscores California's lead in the "green economy" and may indicate where other states can expect green-job growth. California's jobs in green businesses numbered 159,000 as of January 2008, accounting for less than 1% of jobs statewide, the research shows. But jobs in green businesses may be holding up better than others. From January 2007 to January 2008, jobs in green businesses grew 5%, while total jobs in California fell 1%, the report says. Collaborative Economics, which produced the report for Next 10, a non-profit focused on the economy and environment, counts businesses or business units that it defines as green and the jobs associated with those businesses. If data cannot be verified, jobs aren't counted. Collaborative Economics considers its numbers conservative, it says. The green-job growth puts California at the forefront of a wide range of green technologies, the report says. It also shows that regions are developing green-job clusters off existing strengths. The San Francisco Bay Area leads in green energy generation, mostly solar. San Diego is strong in co-generation technologies, such as turning waste heat into energy. The Los Angeles and Orange county regions excel in transportation, including electric vehicles. Unlike California's software and biotech industries, which are centered in a few clusters, "Green jobs are disbursed all around California," says Noel Perry, the venture-capital founder of Next 10. California's green-job sector is three times the size of its biotech industry and almost two-thirds the size of its software sector, the report notes. The green jobs are being fueled, in part, by government policies encouraging energy efficiency and solar adoption, says Doug Henton, CEO of Collaborative Economics. The report says the energy efficiency category, which includes conservation products, lighting and consulting, added 7,532 jobs for a growth rate of 63% from 1995 to 2008. Energy-generation jobs grew 61% to almost 26,000 total. Jobs in green transportation soared 152% to almost 4,300. California's unemployment rate hit 12.5% in October. But Perry says the "trend lines are up" for green jobs. The green economy is even helping California with manufacturing jobs. They accounted for 21% of green jobs as of January 2008 while manufacturing accounted for 11% of the state's jobs, Henton says. Collaborative Economics defines businesses as green if they provide products and services that drive a cleaner, more efficient and more competitive economy. The Department of Labor has not defined green jobs. Nor does it track them. Because researchers can define green jobs, studies deserve "a high level of skepticism," says Max Schulz, analyst at Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. Schulz says green-job backers may fail to consider offsetting economic factors, such as higher energy costs from renewable sources and jobs that may be lost in coal and oil industries usatoday.com