ENERGY: Green jobs, brown economy?
Alternative energy not a growth engine, some experts say, will green jobs save the economy as well as the planet? The answer isn’t obvious, experts say.
President Barack Obama and a number of business leaders say alternative energy, such as biofuels, wind and solar power, and energy-efficiency projects will create millions of good jobs, as well as reducing global warming and the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Earlier this month, oil giant ExxonMobil announced a $600 million partnership with La Jolla’s Synthetic Genomics to make oil from photosynthetic algae. Local leaders hailed the deal, which will create about 100 local jobs, as a major step toward making San Diego the center of the new prosperous green economy.
But some experts in economics and the energy industry say having more people work in alternative energy will actually lower our standard of living, by making energy more expensive. They say the public will need to balance how much wealth they’re willing to sacrifice to protect the environment.
