What exactly is a green job Mr Rudd?

LEON GETTLER
August 5, 2009KEVIN Rudd's pledge last week to create 50,000 green jobs to beat the recession is hype and political flimflam. As if green workers are all we need to save the economy and planet.

The Prime Minister said a Green Jobs Corps would provide environmental training for the unemployed between 18 and 24 on public works projects such as planting trees and restoring walking tracks.

His Employment Participation Minister, Mark Arbib, struggled to explain whether these were real jobs or another work-for-the-dole scheme.

Senator Arbib said on Sky News it was a fine line deciding whether 10,000 jobs pledged through the corps were training positions or actual jobs. "They'll be getting paid to do that work, it is a job," he said.

Is it really? He was unable to say whether green army recruits would get superannuation and sick leave. Nor could he say whether the green corps members would continue to get unemployment benefits.

Only a fraction of these jobs is guaranteed. Most of the initiative is aimed at giving apprentices extra training and the long-term jobless access to training and work experience.

Proponents of legislation and emissions trading schemes argue the new order will create so-called green jobs. These include positions in biofuel development, energy-efficient buildings, renewable power and repairing energy-efficient cars, or ecotour guides and specialists in bicycle repair or developing software for green building analysis, and green-focused corporate strategy.

The list also includes hydrologists, environmental engineers, pest control technicians, conservation biologists, toxicologists, pollution control technicians, foresters, environmental lawyers, community affairs managers, environmental health and safety technicians, landscape architects, waste disposal specialists, urban and regional planners, agricultural inspectors, waste-water operators, wildlife biologists and air-quality engineers.

But there are some basic problems with these arguments. The first and most obvious point: what exactly is a green job? And we have not yet worked out how to measure the impact or growth of green employment funded by taxpayers. The UN environment program offers this definition: "We define green jobs as work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies; de-carbonise the economy; and minimise or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution."

This is broad. While the person working at a solar plant might have a green job, does the same apply to the delivery driver who has brought the parts for the plant? What about the plant's architect? And is the architect a green worker when he has also designed buildings not environmentally sustainable? Would you call everyone at Visy's recycling operations a green worker? What about the car salesman specialising in the Prius?

Adding to the debate are questions about whether green jobs are out there. One US study (http:// bit.ly/3vM3oQ) this year questioned whether green jobs would create any productive employment. The researchers wrote: "Green jobs estimates include huge numbers of clerical, bureaucratic, and administrative positions that do not produce goods and services for consumption. Simply hiring people to write and enforce regulations, fill out forms and process paperwork is not a recipe for creating wealth. Much of the promised boost in green employment turns out to be in non-productive (but costly) positions that raise costs for consumers."

A study by Spanish university of Rey Juan Carlos (http://bit.ly/LrrH) found it cost €571,138 ($A982,472) to create each green-collar job. But the drive to create green jobs destroyed 110,500 jobs in other parts of the Spanish economy. These figures seem high. Apart from the hyperbole, critics have argued that the study's findings are simplistic and, in any case, Spain's 17.9 per cent jobless rate is lower than it was before the green jobs program.

There is no doubt the green economy will create industries, jobs and investment opportunities. But governments must approach it with more rigour and show real vision. We need effective public policies, such as mandatory building standards, stronger environmental laws and appropriate standards to measure the net growth of real green jobs.

http://business.theage.com.au/business/what-exactly-is-a-green-job-mr-rudd-20090804-e8o8.html