The world is still dealing with the lingering effects of the global financial and unemployment crises caused by the COVID pandemic. We now need a solution that will not only create jobs for those who can't find them, but also help move America toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.

We need to expand the clean energy sector to help the U.S. economy adapt and overcome these challenges.

Clean energy initiatives enable a number of benefits to the economy:

1. Companies that provide the equipment, technologies, and services needed to implement clean energy benefit from increased demand, which increases their revenue and their ability to hire more people
2. Consumers and companies both benefit by spending less money on electricity
3. Suppliers to clean energy equipment and service providers benefit as demand for their inputs and revenues increase., leading them to also hire more workers1

Dropping technology costs, increases in demand for clean energy and efficiency technology, and supportive policies and investments have all helped the clean energy workforce grow rapidly in recent years2.

Moreover, workers in clean energy jobs earn higher and more equitable wages when compared to all workers nationally. Mean hourly wages exceed national averages by 8% to 19%, and workers at lower ends of the income spectrum typically earn $5 to $10 more per hour than other jobs3.

When it comes to displacing other sources of energy, the gains from clean energy jobs would be enough on their own to reduce the unemployment rate in today's economy by about one full percentage point, even after taking into account the job losses in conventional fossil fuel sectors4.

We need to increase the number of jobs centered on clean energy and technology to help the U.S. flourish. The green movement is gaining support more rapidly than ever, and now is the time to take advantage of its potential to change the world for the better.

Sign the petition supporting the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' work in advocating for clean energy jobs for Americans everywhere.

More on this issue:

1. United States Environmental Protection Agency (July 2017), "Clean Energy and the Economy: Assessing the Many Benefits of State and Local Clean Energy Initiatives."
2. Environmental Defense Fund (January 2018), "Clean energy is building a new American workforce."
3. Mark Muro, Adie Tomer, Ranjitha Shivaram, Joseph W. Kane, Brookings (18 April 2019), "Advancing inclusion through clean energy jobs."
4. Robert Pollin, James Heintz, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier, Center for American Progress (18 June 2009), "The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy."