Definition Economics

Climate change legislation may be up in Washington, but the greening of the world economy, it is not. The capital is the mobilization and global investors are increasingly aware of the opportunities that created the need for low carbon content. One of the biggest potential beneficiaries of a low carbon economy are the American workers, but only if the decision makers to compete for support workers human capital in the new energy economy.

Unfortunately, when helping to America to participate in these opportunities come, U.S. politicians have once again proven to be a lagging indicator. To understand the challenge and opportunity, the policy should consider the lessons during the information technology (IT) revolution of the 20th Century learning.

Two important lessons emerged from the revolution: first, we were told that federal support for research – plays a crucial role in creating new markets – basic and applied. Commercialization of federally funded research (such as ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet) has created a global computer market and triggered a huge demand for products, services and know-how in the digital age.

The second important finding is that our system of education and human resource development has failed an adequate supply of workers in order to create demand for new technologies created the game. The “talent deficit” National Top IT companies need highly skilled foreigners to rent in the 1990s. Import talent increasingly accelerated incentives for foreign students and STEM, the movement of high-tech companies outside the United States.

We must not repeat that mistake.

In addition to creating a predictable regulatory framework for market growth in low-carbon products and services to the public and private sector to take special measures to get the American worker – and to continuously improve – the skills necessary to compete in order. Rationalization of the national workforce investment is a key objective, at present there is a failure. In fact, adoption of federal legislation on the development of human resources in 1998 – the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) – was never allowed back. Simplify the system requires an understanding of future needs and programs for workers cut unnecessary or ineffective.

Announced 1) First, as part of the administration recently, the Better Buildings Initiative, the Presidential Council on Employment and Competitiveness (CCPC) in in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, immediately undertake a study to quantify the skills, qualifications and certifications for use low carbon economy requires. This may indicate that the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which is a collection of information about how the world’s largest companies are created to model the fight against climate change.

The quantification of the carbon data from the labor market can move the policy makers better target resources at all levels for personal and local labor market needs. Instead of assumption underlying the current system of personal investment goals, we need robust, data-driven processes to identify gaps in skills and training to identify the employee.

2) Second, Congress should direct the National Academy of Sciences at a 12-month study carried out to assess the ability of our education system with the challenge of low-carbon economy needs. We need a clear and detailed understanding of the needs and the training of students and teachers. Wave are not complete calls more math and science enough. Chairs of Governors, colleges and universities, school boards, principals and teachers need intelligence to action decisions of curriculum and training.

Workforce development is the catalyst for a virtuous cycle of economic growth. Talent drives innovation, which in turn will promote the growth, wealth creation and employment. Jobs in low-carbon industries are particularly rich in potential. Unlike jobs in the IT industry, many jobs in low-carbon industry (such as auditors of energy and retrofitters CVC) are by definition local, and require only short-term retraining. As a result of the taxpayers’ money for the development of the hand can be better used, the company faster access to staff with the necessary skills and workers spend less time unemployed. But all this depends on the understanding of the challenges we face, and the clarity of vision requires detailed data on the labor market.

Climate change is accelerating, but also the global transition to a low carbon economy. While we were slow to act to date, there is a clear opportunity for the leadership of the United States if we are taking our employees the skills to it.