Report: Redefining Green Jobs for a Sustainable Economy
By
Amanda Novello, Senior Fellow - Data For Progress
Greg Carlock, Senior Fellow and Research Director for Climate - Data for Progress
The Century Foundation
Bernard L. Schwartz Rediscovering Government Initiative
Data for Progress
Executive Summary
The movement toward a Green New Deal policy platform has become the predominant idea for addressing climate change. It would involve a massive government investment in equitable decarbonization, which would create millions of “green jobs.” The impact would be this large not only because greening the economy will be labor intensive across all sectors, but also because a green jobs guarantee would be required in order to ensure that all workers would be supported throughout this green transition.
This report seeks to provide a framework for understanding what a truly sustainable economy would look like in terms of employment. It begins by exploring standard definitions of green jobs, including their historical context, to give an idea of what most people think of when talking about the size of the green economy. It then proposes an expanded definition and framework of green jobs to encompass the principles of equity and sustainability deemed critically important by today’s movement. Finally, it recommends ways in which this expanded definition of green jobs can be integrated into policy, particularly the Green New Deal.
