Less Carbon, More Jobs
America is finally on the cusp of enacting a federal law to cap global warming pollution and the focus on how it will affect our economy has never been greater. When President Obama last week called on Congress to send him such a bill, he underscored the economic necessity of creating new jobs by reinventing our energy supply. Not surprisingly, longtime opponents of taking action argued that a cap will hurt business and consumers.
But the most important piece of this debate has largely been overlooked. Right now, tens of thousands of workers in hundreds of communities are poised to benefit from a nationwide cap on carbon emissions -- and they're right in our backyards.
When America caps its carbon emissions, manufacturing companies from coal country to the rust belt and beyond will see a surge of customers looking to cut pollution, reduce energy use and expand their use of renewables like wind and solar.
These are real companies with real employees in real American communities. And it's time for their stories to be heard.
Take Dwayne Esterline of Eaton Rapids, Michigan. Dwayne spent 15 years manufacturing auto parts for everyone from General Motors to Daimler Chrysler. In June 2008, with the auto industry struggling, he took a chance and joined Dowding Industries. Dowding has been in Michigan for over 40 years, and they'd recently begun manufacturing large-scale machine parts for wind turbines.
Dwayne's manufacturing background was a perfect fit, and he sees his story as a model for workers across the country.
"I look at the future of the wind industry, and this is a positive place to be," he says. "It's nice to be a part of something that's growing and creating jobs. I think people in communities like mine need to reinvent themselves and apply their skills to the green energy revolution."
LessCarbonMoreJobs.org, a new resource created by Environmental Defense Fund, was designed to give a voice to stories like Dwayne's. Users can search by city, state, Congressional district and media market to find companies like Dowding Industries in twelve key manufacturing states -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and Arkansas.
We chose these states because their elected representatives in Washington will play a key role in deciding whether we place a cap on carbon this year, and because their workers are ready and waiting for economic opportunities.
Bill Keith of St. John, Indiana, operates a company that employs 25 of those workers at its main facility and many more in its local and regional supply chain. A few years ago Bill, who co-owned a roofing company with his brother, invented a solar-powered attic fan that vents hot air and reduces energy bills. Demand took off quickly, and today Bill's fans are installed in the Honolulu airport, the Michigan governor's mansion and the visitors' centers at several national parks.
Now Bill runs a company called SunRise Solar that builds and sells his fans, and he -- like entrepreneurs across the heartland -- is waiting for the customers that will come knocking when America passes a carbon cap and industries big and small look to lower their energy consumption.
"We've been greeted with overwhelming support and demand," Bill says. "But we know there's much more to do. We're hoping Congress finally puts the economy on a path to embrace these technologies. My operation is ready to grow, and I know others companies like mine are ready too."
Of course, many companies in this sector are struggling in the midst of the recession, and they're a part of LessCarbonMoreJobs.org too. Firms that saw rapid growth -- and hired quickly - are now hoping for something to reinvigorate demand as they try to avoid layoffs. The clock is ticking and these companies don't have much time to lose.
Short-term steps, like the funding for efficiency and renewables in the recent stimulus bill, will help. But nothing will compare to the flood of private investment in solutions -- and the companies and workers to produce them -- that a cap on carbon emissions will unleash.
The science tells us we have to act now to fight climate change, and the thousands of business owners and workers on LessCarbonMoreJobs.org tell us that unless we move quickly, we risk losing the progress made in so many manufacturing communities. Let's hope our leaders see the opportunity at hand, and embrace it.
Jackie Roberts is Director of Sustainable Technologies at the Environmental Defense Fund.
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The way to fix our economy is to rejuvenate our manufacturing sector. There is nothing greater we can do to create jobs, increase tax revenue (and thus stabilize the Dollar and the world's financial markets), and lower unemployment to World War Two levels. This will change everything: Suddenly it is "Main Street" that is driving the economy with truly free enterprise... Not "wall st." and the international bankers controlling it all for their own purposes.
And there is nothing better to manufacture than alternative energy devices that provide utterly clean, cheap, and abundant energy. The technology for these energy-producing devices all ready exists: We are just not allowed to know about them... Mainly because they would jeopardize trillions in easy profits for the energy cartels and international banks; and end the strangle-hold they have over us all.
NOW is the time to tell our elected officials that we demand disclosure on the alternative/"free energy" technologies, that we want them to be studied rigorously by our Universities, that we want to see the shelved and "secretized" patents released for use, that we want the MSM to start reporting on them.
Those interested in doing something to change the current energy paradigm that is destroying us and the planet please start here:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/It-s-Time-to-Make-Free-Ene-by-Steve-Windisch-ji-090228-406.html
Are you T. Boon Pickens :
I get the feeling most of the negative comments are from people who haven't actually looked at this website. LessCarbonMoreJobs.org shows thousands of businesses across the country in regular communities -- not Silicon Valley, not New York City -- that are ALREADY making products that reduce energy bills, make wind and solar cheaper and, most importantly, put people who have lost jobs back to work.
The theoretical and ideological debate about whether these are real jobs, or whether it's just a bunch of hippie stuff, is over. Any mayor, governor, Congressman or Senator from a manufacturing state can use this site to literally see the businesses that will have more customers for their products when America caps its carbon emissions.
These are real people that have already done the hard work to create these businesses. If we cap carbon, they're going to get more customers, more revenue, and create more jobs. It's as simple as that.
Keeping the government out of these is the only way to keep them moving forward. Government has a way of picking a favorite and then stifles the rest. Just think how far ahead we would have been if ethanol had not been picked, now we have an ethanol market that does damage across multiple sectors.
Let the government do what it does best, seed money, and then let the market nurture the systems. That is the only way we will get something effiecient and sustainable.
I think the ethanol example proves that trying to support innovation by picking winners and losers is the wrong way to go. What a cap on carbon would do is open up the market to pick those winners and losers -- private investors would have a huge incentive to pour money into companies producing the goods and services we need to lower our emissions.
I think that's why this is such a good example of why we need that cap -- it shows you that there really are companies already out there who can do this. It's not about government guiding anything or subsidizing anything. It's about giving the private sector the kick in the pants it'll need to really grow the clean energy sector.
And by the way, that sector is more promising for job creation than just about anything else. The Chinese know it, the Germans know it. We can't let them beat us to the punch.
In a democracy, the debate is never over, despite what the Gore-acal has told you.
A cap and trade is not the only method by which to limit emissions. In fact, more and more scientists, economists and opinion leaders are supporting a revenue-neutral carbon tax that would avoid the evasion and market manipulation that have plagued cap and trade schemes.
Pretty neat huh? We in central Florida are already feeling your change. Florida Power and Light had requested and was approved for a 20% hike in electrity fees to cover the expense of new nuclear power plants that may or may not be built. Gee with the economy in shambles its great to get to be progressive with a 20% rate increase. Thanks.
The flood of carbon emitters that leave the country to avoid the new tax will be great. The rest of us will get destroyed by higher gasoline, home heating, and utility bills. Looking forward to it.
They will all move to a 3rd world country with no regs then you will see this thing really turn around.
I forget too....how are we going to make tires, asphalt, contact lenses, saran wrap, milk jugs, weatherstripping, computers, shoes, roofing, etc etc etc once we're "cured of our addiction to oil?"
Think about the millions of products that are made from petroleum byproducts a moment.
It's not just about getting rid of gasoline, it's about completely reinventing a consumer culture.
Think too, about the price increases inherent in replacing byproduct made consumer goods. Not only do we need to replace these items with new technology, but factories need to be retooled.
Who do you think pays for all of this? You do, through higher costs of goods.
The recent enormous spike in the cost of food due to ethanol subsidies (which drove up the price of all grains, both as feed for cattle and for making flour, etc) is just a little taste of what's to come.
In effect, its a tax on the poor, but liberals won't see it that way.
Appalachia has been bombed, blasted and bulldozed right into 3rd world America, we can't stand anymore of the Bush Legacy of progress and prosperity ! http://www.wisecountyissues.com
I grew up west of Asheville. The development of Appalachia transcends all administrations, friend.
Unless you can tell me it was discovered in 2000.......
Where are those private investors?????
Why do we need government to incentivize this? Why do we need a government program to mandate this? Is there anyone who doesn’t see the benefit of cleaner energy? Is there some company out there that been sitting on a clean power source, but hasn’t released it yet, for some reason?
This call from Obama is like adding a reward to the gold rush. It’s not needed. The rush is on, without any sort of carbon caps. What’s stopping people from building win turbines? What’s stopping people from inventing new products?
What possible good could come from caps, that isn’t already happening, voluntarily?
This is just another way for the insiders in washington to make some money. Who do you thing is going to run this theft project.
"a new resource created by Environmental Defense Fund"
There's your problem. The EDF has long been involved in carbon "offsets" via such things like carbon reduction "verification reports" they do for profit. They are the last, not first, organization one should trust on cap and trade issues. It's their business.
Javani, I work for EDF and what you said about my organization is not quite accurate . EDF does not perform carbon reduction verification reports for profit (or otherwise). Our corporate donation policy is clearly stated here:
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1099
We do, however, maintain a list of carbon offset projects that we've reviewed carefully to aid potential buyers.
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=23994
Please note the following on the link:
All transactions initiated through this page are exclusively between the retailer and the purchaser. Environmental Defense Fund does not receive any monetary compensation from these transactions or the featured retailers.
Thanks for your comment,
Peter
Well, if increasing what are already some of the highest corporate income tax rates in the world won't do it, this little gem and a bunch of new unions should move a few more jobs to China and India. I love how optimistic everyone is, though. I wish I was able to live totally blind to the fact that really all we have now is a different group of fat cats getting pumped full of money by a different group of special interests and telling a different set of lies.
You know, I'm not a HuffPo blogger, but I read about how the ENTIRE Euro capn' trade business is totally collapsed right now.
But, hey, it pleases the base, so who cares if we could actually look at a non-working model of EXACTLY WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION is proposing, right?
One nuclear plant=250,000 acres of ugly, noisy windmills that kill birds and don't produce electricity when the wind stops.
A nuke plant on the coast desalinates seawater for irrigation as a byproduct.
A nuke plant has zero carbon emissions.
Europe, as green and leftist as they are, are building as many as possible right now. They're recovering 90% of the waste, and using it again.....
And, remind me, we're not building nuclear plants here....because it doesn't fit the liberal narrative?
Because it's difficult to funnel union jobs into nuclear plants?
I don't get it.
amen
Exactly!
If you look it up, wind turbines aren't all that green.
Carbon cap and trade would decimate the economy durign a period of great uncertainty. The last 2 winters have been some of the coldest on record. The earth has natural heating a cooling cycles (look it up , its true). 1 volcano erruption spews more CO2 into the air than all of the autos in the US combined. capping carbon is just another form of taxation on the working class.
It may have natrual cycles, but that does not mean we are not causing this one. If you look at the rates of change, we are going much faster then the natrual cycles.
As for the volcano, over what period of time are you looking? And even so, car's are not the only thing that burn fuel.
What, where is the proof? For every study proving your statement there is another study to disprove it. You cannot argue that we are changing anything without some evidence.
The temp here in Louisana went from 30F last night to 70F today, i think it is because I left my door open.
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