Green Collar Jobs Coming To A State Near You

Climate problems are spawning climate solutions. And each climate solution will ripple throughout the economy in the form of new jobs and new materials. This according to a report that says the US economy is poised to grow big-time in a low-carbon world. Manufacturing Climate Solutions names where the jobs are—a first.

The report comes from Duke University's Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness and assesses five carbon-reducing technologies: LED lighting, high-performance windows, auxiliary power units for long-haul trucks, concentrating solar power, and Super Soil Systems (a new method for treating hog wastes).

The conclusion: Many hidden economic opportunities exist within the supply chains providing parts and labor for all five industries. States that stand to benefit most include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. The report also includes detailed breakdown of supply chains, with maps highlighting the location of companies best positioned to support green jobs.

"This report shows that each climate solution creates significant positive ripple effects throughout the economy in the labor and materials needed to supply low carbon technologies and products," said Abraham Breehey of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, a co-sponsor of the report. "It demonstrates the real economic opportunity in the solutions to the climate crisis."

Round up your solar-powered prairie schooners, Pioneers. There's a lot of new frontier ahead.

Julia Whitty is Mother Jones' environmental correspondent, lecturer, and 2008 winner of the PEN USA Literary Award, the Kiriyama Prize and the John Burroughs Medal.