Friday
Sep022011
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill The myth of green jobs
Sep 2, 2011 Economics GWPF Green jobs GWPF have published a new report on the green jobs that are alleged to be a beneficial side effect of the government's energy policies. It's by Gordon Hughes, an eminent economist from Edinburgh. Here's how Hughes summarises the story.
"Claims by politicians and lobbyists that green energy policies will create a few thousand jobs are not supported by the evidence. In terms of the labour market, the gains for a small number of actual or potential employees in businesses specialising in renewable energy has to be weighed against the dismal prospects for a much larger group of workers producing tradable goods in the rest of the manufacturing sector," Professor Hughes said.
The full report can be downloaded here: The Myth of Green Jobs
Reader Comments (9)
Unfortunately, nothing stops the AGW alarmists from repeating the green jobs myth.
No matter how many reports point to an overall loss of jobs, the usual suspects, such as the unspeakable BBC, will always promote the 'green' agenda and 'bury' the reality.
The good ship 'Global Warming' sails on despite being holed many times below the water line.
The jobs are there because of subsidies, these are paid for by taxes which make private firms uncompetitive and so employ less workers. They are just another non-productive public funded drag on the economy.
Yes but you are all missing the point, manufacturing jobs are not as important as service sector financial and support jobs.
If the green economy can employ all of the highly educated graduates in growth area's such as NGO's and Quango's producing data to support political ideology, then the figures will prove that ex-miners, ex-steel workers and ex-factory operators can all be retrained at minimal cost to provide seasonal work on the land and bring down the cost of biofuels which will benefit the drive to attain the greenest government ever.
The added bonus of reducing the lifespan of the 'uneducated' population also goes to solve the pension crisis which will allow the public 'support' sector even greater opportunity to provide employment to future generations.
Another bonus being the increased tourism from developed countries bringing
our aidtheir money into the country and spending it on the tours of rural England as it was in the 'good old days' when peasant villagers worked the land by hand, before the invention of those horrid planet killing engines.Only joking, nobody could ever conceive any of that to be a reality now could they!
If you can't join capitalism, beat it.
It's no accident that AGW supporters congregate in the public sector, NGOs and other boltholes of mediocrity such as journalism and PR.
Most of them, with their degrees in sociology or art history, are outraged that commercial operators with half their education are making twice as much money. They despise commerciality, while remaining profoundly envious and resentful of it.
It's the plumber-who-holidays-in-the-Seychelles syndrome.
Answer? Try to stop the commercial world, by any means possible, fair or foul.
Lord Beaverbrook, entirely agrree with your sentiments, but....
What about putting people with useless degrees to work on farmland set aside by useless EU policies?
Cultivating and harvesting by hand for a year or two, might prove to be a useful education.
Golf Charley,
Best education you could have and I have said in the past if school or university leavers can't find employment then a few months down on the farm is a wonderfull experience, maybe it should be enforced rather than paying young people to not work.
Not a career choice many would make, and I don't blame them, but the experience of seeing where food comes from and being a part of the process is enabling and sometimes life changing. It can also make you stare in awe at some harsh realities.
The link doesn't seem to be working.
Lord Beaverbrook: I love your cynicism!
"our aid " you say..When I hear the words "Foreign Aid", I always remember the comment about this which goes something like:
Foreign Aid is when we take money from poor people in rich countries and give it to rich people in poor countries.
How can this be..? The government says that there will be hundreds... nay, THOUSANDS - of 'green' jobs....
(Well - a nice gentleman did fetch up on my doorstep recently offering to sell me solar panels - I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I laughed at him...)
Now, as reported on Jo Nova's blog, the NIPCC (not sure who they are) report that an increase in CO2 is.... not quite sure how to put this..... BENEFICIAL...
Is nothing sacred..??