Action to address replacing the jobs to be lost in fossil fuel production and transportation as a result of plans to build back better with a carbon reduced economy is urgently needed to maintain public support for the changes.
Job loss in fossil fuels
A report on powering Alberta's future with renewable energy by the Pembina Institute, working to solve today’s greatest energy challenges — reducing the harmful impacts of fossil fuels while supporting the transition to an energy system that is clean, safe and sustains a high quality of life, finds that two thirds of Albertans support reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Respondents to the phone survey were asked about their perceptions of energy and climate policy, the role of the oil and gas industry in the province, and their expectations for future climate action.
"These results reveal that Albertans expect a much stronger focus on climate action than is being offered. It’s clear that Albertans take climate action seriously and recognize it’s important for Alberta’s future prosperity. They want their government to take the steps needed to decarbonize heavy industry, which would unlock major capital investment. This means creating stable, forward-looking climate policy that aligns with Canada’s federal government targets and the targets of more than 100 other countries, now representing more than 70 per cent of global emissions. These results also show that Albertans would prefer more collaboration and dialogue between government, industry and diverse stakeholders the public to advance economic diversification and technological innovation that can also accelerate necessary improvements in environmental performance." — Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta director, Pembina Institute1
Al Jazeera discusses the situation where US unions and environmentalists disagree about oil and gas pipelines. Biden’s moves to wean US off fossil fuels may lead to discord between the two sides. While climate activists celebrated KXL’s demise, labour unions, reeling from the downturn in global oil prices, have mobilised to keep ongoing projects from being derailed.
Mike Knisley, the secretary and treasurer of the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, which endorsed Biden, said he has been leaning on state officials to talk to the president about how his rapid-fire climate announcements are affecting his union membership’s support. “I tell them they need to get back with Biden and ask if this all really has to happen on Day Two of the new administration,” Knisley said. “I just get so frustrated that there’s almost no common ground [on pipelines] with the environmental community.” But Biden was endorsed by a number of key labour unions that work on pipelines, refineries and other energy installations, including the International Teamsters and North America’s Building Trades. Those unions celebrated the victory of a pro-labour president, but opposed the Keystone move and are lining up against threats to the other pipelines.2
A news release from the Government of Nova Scotia reports that the Green Fund is supporting energy efficiency, renewable energy and youth jobs.
The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC, reports how clean energy jobs can power an equitable COVID-19 recovery. As previous Brookings Metro research on advancing inclusion through clean energy jobs has shown, policymakers need to recognize and invest in careers that offer equitable wages, promote transferable skills, and pose lower formal educational barriers to entry. Clean energy jobs offer all three benefits, making them crucial for the post-pandemic recovery.
What’s easy for policymakers to overlook is just how many clean energy occupations pay higher wages while posing lower formal educational barriers to entry compared to all jobs nationally. Nearly two-thirds of solar installers (62.3%) have a high school diploma or less, as do nearly three-quarters of construction workers (73.2%)—both significantly higher than the national share for all occupations (32.2%). These occupations also tend to pay higher wages, especially for workers just starting out their careers or at lower ends of the income spectrum; for example, despite having lower educational requirements, solar installers have a mean hourly wage of $22.50, close to the national mean of $25.72. The opportunity for well-paying clean energy jobs is clear, and it is time to seize it.3
Sectors of the economy, like fossil fuel production and transportation, currently support many workers in well paid jobs. Gaining and maintaining the support of these workers requires action now to begin transition to better and more sustainable work in the new energy economy.
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