100,000+ Jobs: Getting Albertans Back to Work by Building a Low-Carbon Future
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100,000+ Jobs: Getting Albertans back to work by building a low-carbon future By David Thompson and Allison Thompson Published by Greenpeace Canada April 2016 Greenpeace is an independent, nonprofit, global campaigning organization that uses peaceful, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and their causes. We challenge government and industry to halt harmful practices. We negotiate solutions, conduct scientific research, introduce clean alternatives, and educate and engage the public. www.greenpeace.ca 33 Cecil Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1N1 454 Laurier East, 3rd floor, Montréal, Quebec, H2J 1E7 1726 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia V5N 4A3 6238 – 104 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 2K9 1 800 320-7183 C CONTENTS 1 Acknowledgements 1 Executive summary 4 Introduction 5 Motivation – jobs in the low-carbon economy 8 Opportunities and strategies 9 Energy efficiency and conservation 14 Renewable electricity generation 21 Sustainable transportation 26 Other opportunities for job creation 26 Improve wastewater collection and treatment 26 Sustainable forestry 26 Clean up contaminated tar sands sites 26 Waste reduction / recycling 27 Cross-cutting strategies 27 Training and transition programs 27 Buy locally, buy green 27 Provincial energy strategy 27 Jobs across sectors 28 Conclusions 29 Appendix I: Jobs estimation 32 References The authors thank: Mike Hudema and Keith Stewart for sparking ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS this discussion paper and providing guidance and valuable input throughout; Sara Hastings-Simon, Peter Louwe, Godo Stoyke, Tzeporah Berman, and an anonymous reviewer for providing thoughtful reviews; Andy Kubrin for thorough copy editing, Peartree Design for professional layout; and those involved in the 2009 Alberta Green Jobs report (Thompson 2009) for their active engagement in the development of that report, upon which many of the ideas in this report are based. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As 2016 hits its stride, Alberta finds itself in a tough Governments worldwide are beginning to take climate position. As oil prices reach historic lows, many Albertans change seriously, investing in the low-carbon economy and are finding themselves out of work, leaving families and creating millions of jobs. In 2014, there were an estimated workers struggling to find answers. Previous governments 7.7 million green jobs globally. In Canada, clean sector have failed to diversify Alberta’s economy, leaving the jobs outnumbered jobs in the tar sands even before oil province without much of a fiscal safety net. Within this prices reached their sustained lows. In 2015, 12,000 new turbulent financial time the new Alberta government faces Canadian jobs were created in the solar industry alone. some tough questions: What is the best way to quickly Within Canada, the provincial leaders in greening the energy create good, stable jobs, and put people back to work? sector are British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. With What strategies will create the most jobs for the smallest smart policy decisions, Alberta can follow the lead of these investment? Where should investments be made to help provinces, put people to work and become a Canadian diversify the economy and ensure long-term job growth? leader in the low-carbon economy. Are there pathways for Alberta to answer these questions Globally, economic growth and climate change emissions and solve other issues like the environment and health at are decoupling. Alberta is lagging behind this trend; the the same time? province’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been The findings of this report suggest that investments rising steadily since the 1990s and are predicted to in the low-carbon economy may provide the answers continue to rise through 2020. The impacts of climate the government is looking for, and that Albertans so change are costly. We are already seeing climate change desperately need. impacts in Alberta, in the form of floods, droughts and forest fires — impacts that ripple through the economy and Alberta has the potential to create over one hundred and into communities. forty-five thousand new jobs — 46,780 jobs in renewable energy, 68,400 jobs in energy efficiency, and 30,000- Likewise, Alberta suffers from the economy’s reliance on a 40,000 jobs in mass transit. Investing in the low-carbon single resource. Communities that rely on single resource economy would put Albertans to work right away, while extraction experience economic boom and bust cycles, diversifying the economy, reducing pollution and health care which cause drastic changes in employment and income, costs, and building stronger and more resilient communities loss of social cohesion and higher crime rates. Fortunately, in the process. The intent of this report is to help spark a there are clear steps that Alberta can take to reduce its creative conversation about pathways to make a job-secure GHG emissions, diversify the economy and create jobs in and sustainable Alberta a reality. the process. 1 Opportunities and strategies reduce the release of toxic pollutants that damage human health and help diversify Alberta’s economy. Jobs in the The government has a number of opportunities that it can renewable energy sector include installation, planning and seize, starting right now, to put Albertans back to work. engineering, maintenance and repair. Jobs can be created by investing in energy conservation and efficiency, moving more quickly to increase Alberta’s Sustainable transportation renewable electricity generation, and by supporting the expansion of sustainable transportation, amongst others Alberta has the opportunity and means to improve sectors. its transportation systems, while creating jobs and permanently reducing GHG emissions. Sustainable Energy efficiency and conservation transportation also encourages the development of compact, healthy communities and increases land values Investing in energy efficiency can create jobs in the short along transit lines. Encouraging active transportation, such term, reduce the energy bills of Albertans and help reduce as cycling and walking, provides significant health, social the province’s emissions. Energy efficiency initiatives cohesion and financial benefits to users. It also reduces can put Albertans to work in jobs including: performing vehicle emissions and traffic congestion that impact on energy efficiency audits and installing, maintaining and others and can revitalize business areas. There is significant repairing insulation, weather stripping, high-performance job creation potential in sustainable transportation, as this windows and doors, high-performance appliances, efficient sector creates substantially more jobs per dollar spent than furnaces and air conditioning systems, and programmable in oil and gas extraction. thermostats in homes, businesses, and public buildings. Investing in energy efficiency creates cost savings both The Alberta government could adopt a variety of policies immediately and over the long run, permanently reduces to increase sustainable transportation. Installing physically GHG emissions, and generates health benefits. separated bus lines could be done almost immediately and allow for more rapid bus transit. The LRT lines in Edmonton Alberta can retrofit older, less energy-efficient homes and and Calgary can be expanded to accommodate more buildings through a combination of public and private passengers and access new neighbourhoods; expanding investment. An achievable goal of retrofitting 183,000 (40%) these systems could create approximately 29,286 jobs. of Alberta’s older buildings over five years, plus retrofits Building a high-speed rail system between Edmonton and to publicly owned buildings and lower income housing, Calgary would go a step further in creating jobs and taking would create approximately 68,400 jobs. Related policy vehicles off the road and create 20,000-60,000 jobs in the initiatives include requiring energy audits to be performed longer term. Existing cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure before a building is sold and requiring efficiency ratings to could be repaired, and new infrastructure could be added, be provided for homes that are sold or rented. Additional creating approximately 1,000-10,000 jobs. Infrastructure energy efficiency policies to create jobs include further can be added for electric vehicle charging, and ridesharing, greening the building code, requiring large commercial carpooling and car-shares can all be encouraged. These buildings to have an energy manager and adopting district sustainable transportation policies would create jobs in energy systems. Over the longer term, Alberta can adopt construction, repair and maintenance, as well as supporting policies to encourage the development of an industry for industries. manufacturing energy efficient products, creating more jobs. Other opportunities Renewable electricity generation There are many other sectors in Alberta where the government can implement policies to create low-carbon The way Alberta sources its power grid has important economy jobs. The government can invest in the much- implications for both GHG emissions and green job needed upgrading of water and wastewater infrastructure creation, as different energy sources vary widely in their in First Nation and Métis communities, as well as GHG emissions. Alberta currently relies heavily on coal and municipalities. Upgrading these infrastructures in Alberta gas for electricity production. Although renewable energy would create approximately: 11,153 jobs from