The elusive and expensive green job

The United States, Europe, and non-governmental international organizations are seeking to encourage the creation of green jobs and the use of non-hydropower renewable energy. This paper discusses the challenge in defining green jobs and reviews definitions across different countries, states, and NGOs. The paper describes some of the costs the United States has faced in creating jobs through programs funded by the Departments of Labor and Energy. The paper concludes by comparing the experiences of China and the United States in the use of renewable energy.

► Green jobs are expensive and elusive. ► The ambiguity of green jobs definitions is on reason efforts to create them have been unsuccessful. ► Although some politicians advocate adoption of green jobs policies to "catch up with China," in reality, China relies heavily on fossil fuels.