Green Jobs here?...or China?
By Louise
A group of Democratic senators is concerned that the Obama administrations efforts to promoting economic stimulus, aimed at financing renewable energy, is creating jobs in foreign countries. The four senators, led by Chuck Schumer of New York, wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday to request a moratorium on the Recovery Act program. They asked that the moratorium remain in place until they can pass legislation mandating stimulus aid flow only to projects which preserve and create U.S. jobs. Here's what's happening that nobody wants to talk about: Huge solar and wind projects are being funded with stimulus dollars in Texas, Oregon, and other states. That would seem like a good thing - and is creating jobs installing the solar panels and wind turbines. The problem is that the solar panels are made in China and the wind turbines are made in Denmark - and making the panels and turbines is far more labor-intensive - meaning jobs - than is just the installation and monitoring of them. So our "green" stimulus here in the US is creating jobs in Denmark and China. In large part, this is because all the Republicans and some of the Conserva-Dems opposed a "buy american" or "American-content" provision in the stimulus bill, which produced this predictable result. And the good news is that the Administration is apparently waking up to the idiocy of Reagonomics, Clintonomics, and Friedman's flat-earth stupidity. Keep an eye on this one.
Comments
#2
Please explain how "the Administration is apparently waking up."
#3
Yes, as a rapidly developing country with a large population and a fragile eco-environment, China is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Global warming threatens both the ecosystems as well as the economic and social development of the country. The Green Jobs strategy offers a win-win solution summer jobs for 15 year olds to the pursuit of growth, job creation, employment security and environmental protection. The ILO supports the Chinese government and its social partners in their efforts to pursue these goals. The main objective of the ILO green jobs programme in China is to help the country realize its potential for green jobs. The programme also aims to help China make a positive labour market transition in the face of climate change.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
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