In an op-ed for the Miami Herald, EDF’s executive director, David Yarnold, tells this story:
A small town in Ohio has such a high unemployment rate that almost 700 people lined up to apply for one job opening, for a school janitor. Just down the road is a renewable energy company that’s poised to grow and add jobs as soon as we put a cap on carbon pollution.
As David put it:
You’ll hear opponents of climate change legislation talk about the “burden” that capping carbon will place on our economy. However, they won’t talk about the burden that 10-percent-plus unemployment puts on our communities, or the burden that standing on line with 700 other job applicants puts on individuals. Clinging to the status quo won’t get us out of this recession.
A new energy economy is our best chance for a better future, and we can’t afford not to take this opportunity.
See the whole column.