Solar investments produce 2.7 times more jobs than fossil fuel work

As Congress debates whether to pare down the Biden administration’s signature climate proposals or allow the fossil fuel industry to benefit more from new government programs, new research suggests doing so would create far fewer jobs.

For every million dollars the United States government invests, solar produces over 2.7 times more jobs than fossil fuels, according to an analysis from two environmental think tanks and a labor union. Wind energy spurs over 2.8 times more jobs than investments in oil, gas and coal. And retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient creates demand for nearly three times as many jobs.

The findings appear to hold true across the world.

The paper ― which the World Resources Institute, New Climate Economy, and the International Trade Union Confederation published Monday ― reviewed a dozen studies from 2009 to 2020 and compared the projected job numbers in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, the United States and globally. 

[Alexander Kaufman]

18 October 2021

IEEFA