Canada's environmental jobs now surpass all oil sands jobs
A good start...but considerably more needs to be done
About $25-billion has been invested in Canada’s clean-energy sector in the past five years, and employment is up 37 per cent, according to a new report from climate think tank Clean Energy Canada to be released Tuesday. That means the 23,700 people who work in green energy organizations outnumber the 22,340 whose work relates to the oil sands, the report says.
Over the past five years, Canada's wind, solar, biomass, and hydro energy capacity has increased 93%. The investments have grown and results are coming in:
-Wind, solar, run-of-river, and biomass capacity have nearly doubled in the past five years.
-Large hydro remains the foundation of Canada’s electricity system, providing 85 percent of all renewable electricity capacity, and continues to grow.
-In 2013 Canada hit a record high, putting up one new wind turbine every 10 hours.
-Cumulative investment in Canada’s clean energy sector amounted to $25 billion over the past five years.
-In 2013, Canada jumped from 12th to seventh place in the G20 for clean- energy investment.
-Clean energy jobs are growing incredibly fast. In 2013 thirty-seven percent more Canadians worked in the renewable energy industry than in 2009.
-As a result, by 2013 the clean energy sector—encompassing manufacturing, power production, energy efficiency, and biofuels—accounted for more direct Canadian jobs than the oil sands.
-With growing selection, incentives, and public-charging networks, electric vehicle sales doubled between 2012 and 2013.
However, as in the U.S., even though Canada is seeing the benefits of green energy, there is still a preoccupation in the government with traditional energy concerns.
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/05/1349640/-Canada-s-environmental-jobs-now-surpass-all-oil-sands-jobs?detail=facebook