Green News: Copenhagen Begins as Obama Promises More (Energy) Jobs

So Copenhagen has begun and so have the accompanying protests, demonstrations and hunger strikes. Being touted as historically the most important meet on environmental issues, the climate conference is burdened with many hopes. Many see it as key to creating millions of jobs while others see a coordinated agreement necessary to economic growth in general.

A video projected on a floating cubicle Copenhagen shows the United States as the second largest CO2 emitting country after China

AP Photos/ Peter Dejong

Also in the news today is President Obama's speech promising more funds to job creation, with a key ingredient of this predicted to be energy jobs, i.e., energy efficiency measures, weatherization and expansion of the smart grid. In the weeks leading up to the summit, many reports and studies came out with predictions and analysis of green jobs. Some put the number at 7.9 million, while others predicted losing thousands, and still another estimate put the number at "several thousands of jobs." What is clear, regardless of which set of numbers you choose to believe, is that jobs will be created as demand for renewable energy increases. And with added pressure (and funds) from the Obama administration, the energy field is going to offer stable jobs over the next decade. And legislation or not, some businesses are gearing up, albeit not as many as we need to really make a dent in that unemployment figure.

As an example of how these small, but on-the-rise efforts are creating jobs nationwide, I broke down graphically how today's news that Harvard University will power 10 percent of its campus' energy through wind power by 2010, adds to the employment numbers. While I admit to the simplicity of this example, its enough to explain our context.

Argumentatively, what goes on at Copenhagen doesn't interest every one. However, what it translates into (or doesn't) in terms of legislation affects all of us as employees, recruiters, consumers and parents. At Vault, we are most concerned with what you as an employee and a careerist, are doing to prepare yourself for the green wave? Are you doing anything different to stay up to date? Are you reconfiguring your job/career to align it with sustainability? Write to us, leave a comment or take our poll.