The Greening of Labor

"Green jobs" - high-quality employment in renewable energy and other environmentally sustainable sectors - are uplifting communities while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, jobs in fossil fuel industries, particularly coal, continue to decline.

Worldwatch staff writer Ben Block explores the growing field of green jobs - from Texas to Germany to Kenya - in this three-part series. Also, read senior researcher Michael Renner's Vital Sign on renewable energy employment.

Part 1: In Windy West Texas, An Economic Boom

The center of U.S. wind energy development, Sweetwater, Texas, has undergone a major economic boom in the past four years. It may be a sign of green jobs to come.

Part 2: The Afterlife of German Coal Mining

As German coal mining comes to an end, already-high unemployment rates are expected to worsen in industrial Ruhr Valley. Are green jobs the answer?

Part 3: Solar Offers A Future for Kenya's Youth

An emerging solar energy industry offers green jobs in Kenya. Whether this growth will trickle down to the country's marginalized youth remains to be seen. Co-authored by Ambika Chawla.

Vital Signs Online: Jobs in Renewable Energy Expanding

Currently, about 2.3 million people worldwide work either directly in renewables or indirectly in supplier indus­tries. Given incomplete data, this is in all like­lihood a conservative figure.

Stay tuned! Michael Renner has collaborated with Cornell University researchers on a major report on green jobs to be released in late September. The report was commissioned for a joint initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation, and the International Organisation of Employers.