The idea that “green jobs” can save the environment while aiding the economy is nothing but a fantasy, according to an October 9 report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.
By emphasizing green jobs, policy-makers run the risk of measuring environmental progress in arbitrary and irrelevant ways that can actually cause more damage than good, the report says.
One of the main reasons for this, report authors Michal Moore and Jennifer Winter argue, is that green jobs are almost impossible to define.
“Vague definitions often give energy-intensive, carbon-heavy industries a ‘green’ stamp of approval,” the authors write. “Too often, green job policies reward inefficiency, while also failing to distinguish between permanent, full-time jobs and temporary or part-time jobs.
“In some cases they can also discourage trade, limit or thwart competition, result in greater job losses elsewhere in the economy and demand massive government subsidies, with some government green job programs requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions, to create a single job.”
Moore and Winter argue that job creation and environmental protection should be looked at separately, and that overall, it would make more sense to focus on promoting policies that improve greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.
