How Green Is Your Lost Job?

IBD Editorials ^ | March 1, 2011 | Staff

[Kaslin]

Power: A study of renewable energy in Scotland shows that for every job created in the alternative energy sector, almost four jobs are lost in the rest of the economy. We've seen this movie before.

Not only has the sun set on the British Empire, but the promise of wind apparently is deserting it as well. A new study called "Worth The Candle?" by the consulting firm Verso Economics confirms the experience of Spain and other countries: The creation of "green" jobs destroys other jobs through the diversion of resources and the denial of abundant sources of fossil fuel energy.

The economic candle in the U.K. is being blown out by wind power. The Verso study finds that after the annual diversion of some 330 million British pounds from the rest of the U.K. economy, the result has been the destruction of 3.7 jobs for every "green" job created.

The study concludes that the "policy to promote renewable energy in the U.K. has an opportunity cost of 10,000 direct jobs in 2009-10 and 1,200 jobs in Scotland." So British taxpayers, as is the case here in the U.S., are being forced to subsidize a net loss of jobs in a struggling economy.

"There's a big emphasis in Scotland on the economic opportunity of investing in renewable energy," says study co-author and Verso research director Richard Walsh. "Whatever the environmental merits, we have shown that the case for green jobs just doesn't stack up."

[glock rocks]

They’ll have to take Lowe’s down as a co-conspirator. I wouldn’t put it past these morons.

[Carry_Okie]

Let me warn you there: some engineers in my office have concluded that EPA regulations make using a “jerry can” for its intended purpose (to contain gasoline) without special federal permits constitutes a felony violation of the Clean Air Act. EPA mercifully hasn’t initiated any known enforcement yet, but that doesn’t mean that the feds won’t quash your aspirations.

I'm not sure putting illegal alien tree crews and gardeners out of business is high on their list.

[Pining_4_TX]

Send this to Newt, will you? Maybe he will stop pandering to Iowa farmers.

[chiller]

I was actually wondering about vitamin and calorie content in the V8 rather than horsepower for your V8

[chiller]

I was actually wondering about vitamin and calorie content in the V8 rather than horsepower for your V8. :)

[bert]

The article misses the entire point.

Green energy is to replace fossil energy. That is all that matters. Collateral loss of other jobs is totally irrelevant.

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump.