Green ideas offer job-rich stimulus package

In just a few months, the world has changed.

We have seen unparalleled job losses, budgets go from surplus to deficit, and massive stimulus packages announced.

Federally, a government rooted in the anti-deficit Reform movement is budgeting for a deficit in the tens of billions, and hinting at more. In the U.S. -- no stranger to deficits -- the price of the stabilization and recovery packages will be in the trillions. States and provinces are also creating stimulus budgets with substantial deficits.

And here in Alberta, where deficits are "against the law," Finance Minister Iris Evans is projecting the first deficit in 15 years.

Clearly, stimulus is the order of the day. So the question becomes: What exactly do we want to stimulate? Is it GDP? Is it "the economy?"

This recession is not about abstract numbers; it's about real people.The biggest concern for most people right now is jobs. In the last few months, tens of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs. In December alone, more than 19,000 full-time workers got a pink slip.

And when it comes to creating jobs, some stimulus investments are better than others; some create more jobs, and some create fewer.

The government, being trustees of public money, should be making the best stimulus investments possible. It should be investing our dollars in a way that maximizes the development of good jobs -- jobs that support workers, families and communities.

At the same time, this is a unique moment: a crossroads of sorts. We need to consider the bigger picture when advancing a stimulus package. What do we want Alberta to look like 10 or 20 years from now?

The time has come to begin down the road toward a greener economy -- one that maintains our natural capital, creates jobs and gets us on board with the New Washington Consensus of green energy and a clean environment.

We need to invest in retrofitting public and private buildings to improve their energy efficiency. We need to invest in developing our renewable energy resources. We need to invest in building and maintaining good transit systems. We need to invest in reducing pollution and developing cleaner value-added industries.

In short, we need to put people to work building the green economy.

The interesting thing is that green investments create a lot of jobs -- good jobs: jobs with a pension; jobs with benefits; jobs with stability and chances of upward mobility. Many are the kinds of jobs Albertans have now -- in construction, manufacturing, engineering, administration and more. They are familiar jobs, but applied to initiatives that improve our environment.

Given the enormous size and influence of the energy sector here in Alberta, we obviously can't ignore the role it plays in employment. But the fact remains that, per new dollar invested, the fossil-fuel sector generates fewer jobs than other, greener sectors.

Indeed, investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency typically create twice as many jobs per dollar, and per unit of energy produced, as investments in fossil-fuel extraction. Statistics Canada publishes multipliers showing job creation per dollar invested for 62 industry categories in Alberta. Oil and gas extraction ranks 61st.

Investments in the green economy not only help us create more jobs; they can also help diversify our economy, insulating it against volatile global energy prices and calming the Alberta boom-bust cycle -- all while making our air cleaner and our water safer.

So instead of further royalty breaks or other subsides for business-as-usual, we should be investing in a green-jobs strategy. This is not a new idea. Many other jurisdictions are already heading in this direction. For instance, this week Ontario introduced a bill to create 50,000 jobs. The Obama administration aims to create five million green jobs.

The green economy is a high-growth economy. Global investment in sustainable energy broke all previous records in 2007, with $148 billion of new money raised -- an increase of 60 per cent over 2006.

In the end, the green economy is arriving, whether we like it or not. U.S. energy and climate-change policies will largely determine Canadian policies, and Obama's overall direction is clear: clean energy and green jobs.

So Alberta can jump to the front of this regional and global parade, or it can be dragged along behind. But one thing is clear: Alberta won't be able to stop it.

Nor should we try. By jumping forward and leading the parade, Alberta can develop the expertise and technologies that will boost our exports, create jobs, stimulate our economy and improve our trade position.

And here at home, we can create a better future. Fast, reliable transit. Community-based jobs that are long-term and stable. Comfortable, energy-efficient homes and workplaces. A vibrant, buoyant economy, instead of one that is anchored to sinking stocks of fossil fuels.

In the end, building a green economy will help us address the two most pressing issues of the day: the economy and the environment. Let's hope for foresight and good judgment in the upcoming provincial budget.

David Thompson is an independent public policy consultant and author of a forthcoming report on Green Jobs in Alberta. Gil McGowan is President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. Mike Hudema is a Climate and Energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. Lindsay Telfer is the Prairie Director for the Sierra Club Canada.