Now is the time to invest in a fair green economy

By Cameron Johnson

Amid a congressional debate on revitalizing the country’s infrastructure, the green economy emerges as ripe for investment because of its forward-looking, sustainability-driven and job-creating opportunities. Prioritizing strong climate infrastructure can generate an influx of well-paying green jobs with benefits, simultaneously strengthening the country’s resilience in the face of climate catastrophe while promoting equity.

Communities with limited resources are regularly excluded from quality employment channels and are the most threatened by climate change. Federal investments in jobs, sustainability and the fight against climate change must be focused on the economic empowerment of these communities. Now is the time to ensure that a green economy is built with such fairness in mind, putting people on the path to poverty and prosperity. Legislation on budget reconciliation should serve as a vehicle to achieve this reality.

The Biden-Harris administration is committed to advancing such an equity agenda, and investing in the green economy is a major part of that goal. In particular, the White House proposed a set of green initiatives to be funded, including: improving the protection of our communities, land and water, and infrastructure in the face of extreme weather events; prioritize clean energy solutions and mitigate damage from extractive energy; subsidize jobs in conserving public resources and improving the resilience of communities to extreme weather events; and modernizing buildings to make them more sustainable. These investments would support the administration’s goal of pursuing an economic recovery in a way that simultaneously promotes racial equity.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are either “in companies that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or preserve natural resources” or “involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly. of the environment or use fewer natural resources “. The three main categories are renewable energy production, energy efficiency and environmental management. However, to promote equity, green jobs must additionally be family support and career support jobs, offering living wages with benefits coupled with pathways to upward mobility.

There are profound employment disparities in green economy work affecting historically marginalized communities. Women, people of color, those who were previously incarcerated, among others, continue to face barriers to participate in this growing field. In the renewable energy production and energy efficiency sectors of the green economy in 2020, black Americans held about 8% of those jobs, Hispanics / Latin Americans about 17%, and American Americans about 17%. Asian origin about 8 percent, Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders about 1 percent, and Native Americans or Alaska Natives held about 1 percent. Meanwhile, white Americans held about 61% of those jobs. The participation rate in these sectors increased slightly for people of color overall from 2017, although the rate trajectories for racial subgroups during this period have been mixed.

Women accounted for only 27% of jobs in renewable energy production and energy efficiency in 2020, less than their share of all jobs in the overall labor market. Their participation rate in these sectors has declined slightly since 2017. Part of the reason is that women are more likely than men to work in sectors that are under-represented in the green economy, such as education. and health and leisure and hospitality. Conversely, men are more likely than women to work in sectors over-represented in the green economy, such as transportation and movement of materials, construction and mining, and architecture and engineering. These occupations are, on the whole, non-traditional fields for women.

Notably, the fact that women are not traditional in the aforementioned professions may explain why environmental management is the sector that contains the most women in green jobs. It contains additional occupations beyond the skilled trades, such as public administration and support services, where women have a strong presence. Public sector occupations in environmental management are known to employ equal opportunity hiring and recruiting practices, which tend to benefit minorities and women. This last point may also explain why the sector also contains the highest amount of black workers in green jobs.

People who have been incarcerated in the past face barriers to entering the green economy that reflect their experiences of entering the labor market in general: a lack or interruption in their level of education or their experience in employment. job ; stigma; lack of job prospects; and discrimination in employment. Recognizing and addressing all of these disparities is essential to craft a fair and green infrastructure plan for the country with equity in mind.

There are several ways that investing in a green workforce can benefit people in communities that have been historically underfunded. Many green jobs have low barriers to entry, providing pathways for those with limited skills, work experience, and formal credentials. These jobs are less likely to be low-paid than jobs in other industries: workers who earn “low wages” in green jobs earn $ 5 to $ 7 more per hour than low-wage workers in the workplace. nationwide. Jobs in the green economy can also be more difficult to export and are more likely to be unionized.

However, to ensure real equity, promoting the green economy must lead to more high-quality jobs for economically marginalized people. Congress may intentionally design public investments in budget resolution legislation to improve inequality in labor participation in this sector. This should involve

• explicitly prioritize those who have been marginalized in all policy investments;
• creating large-scale employment and post-secondary education pathways for these populations;
• support career paths that link progressive levels of basic skills with continuing education and training; and
• ensure adequate wages, benefits, full services, and fair and predictable working hours.

Policy makers need to build lifelong learning, education and certification into the model for people facing barriers to employment so that they can advance in their workplace or chosen profession. In addition, where possible, training programs and providers should be linked to union apprenticeship programs.

When paired with wages that support family needs and general principles of ‘good jobs’, the green workforce can help us tackle climate change, promote equity and ensure environmental justice. It can deliver on its promise as a means of livelihood and development for people who otherwise would have been deprived of economic opportunities.