The clean-energy economy holds the promise to combat global warming, reduce our dependence on volatile and expensive fossil fuels, and create millions of new high-quality jobs for Americans. But the fight to transition to this new economy will be a tough one. Some special interests are currently spending millions of dollars a day lobbying legislators in Washington to support the status quo. To ensure we usher in a clean-energy future, CAP has partnered with our allies to compile the arguments, stories, and state-by-state data we need to show that the clean-energy economy will create good jobs, lower consumer costs, spur innovation and entrepreneurship, and position America as a global leader in the new low-carbon energy era.
We are always looking for new data and stories for this site. Please contact hub@americanprogress.org to let us know about any information you think we should add.
New Map: The Economics of Clean Energy in 50 states
Click on a state for comprehensive facts about jobs, savings, investment, competitiveness, and the costs of climate inaction in the clean energy economy. Let us know if there is anything you'd like to see added.
Featured Content
New: The Climate Group's new report "American Innovation: Manufacturing Low Carbon Technologies in the Midwest" demonstrates that there is tremendous potential to create clean energy jobs not just on the coasts, but in our manufacturing base in the Midwest. (January 2010)
New: PricewaterhouseCoopers' new report maps out the emergent industries in the clean tech sector are acting together to help transform our nations infrastructure. (January 2010)
The Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate finds that the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act would reduce the federal deficit by $21 billion over the 2010 - 2019 period, and in fact would not increase the deficit by a single cent over the entire life of the bill. Read it. (December 2009)
The University of Tennessee's recent report shows how clean energy and climate legislation could create $13 billion in new revenue for the agricultural sector. (November 2009)
The World Energy Outlook 2009 was officially released November 10. Among the report's findings: every year we delay to address climate change will add $500 billion to the final price tag; and "the OECD countries alone cannot put the world onto the path to 450-ppm trajectory, even if they were to reduce their emissions to zero." (November 2009)
Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation, a report released by Environmental Entrepreneurs, confirms previous analysis that progressive climate legislation such as that currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate has the potential to create nearly 2 million new clean energy jobs, increase yearly household income by up to $1,175, and boost annual GDP by up to $111 billion by 2020. (October 2009)
New analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act shows that the costs of addressing climate change will be negligible. (October 2009)
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's new report shows that consumers will see total savings on their energy bills in the range of $350 to $450 billion by 2030, and as much as $750 billion by 2050 if we pursue an aggressive national strategy for energy efficiency. (October 2009)
Oxfam America's new interactive map shows which states and counties in the Southeast are vulnerable to the most significant climate change impacts such as drought, flood, and sea level rise. (October 2009)
Yet another new report suggests that tackling climate change will be a major net job creator for the U.S. economy. According to the American Solar Energy Society, aggressive deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency can net up to 4.5 million new U.S. jobs by 2030 and provide the greenhouse gas emission reductions necessary to tackle climate change. (October 2009)
A brand new report by the National Academy of Sciences, and sponsored by the US Department of the Treasury, estimates $120 billion in hidden damages from our current broken energy system, even before counting damages due to climate change. (October 2009)
Clean Tech Job Trends 2009 is an October report by CleanEdge.com that gives a rigorous overview of recent private investment activity and job trends in the clean tech industry. (October 2009)
Environmental Defense Fund's Climate Economics Brief summarizes how the United States can enjoy robust economic growth over the next several decades while making ambitious reductions in global warming pollution. “If we put a cap on carbon now, we can tackle climate change at a minimal cost to our economy.” (October 2009)
The World Energy Outlook 2009 is a major global energy assessment that will be released in November by the International Energy Agency and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. A lengthy excerpt is available now. (October 2009)
Renewable Energy for America, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, uses Google Earth software to to show existing and future renewable energy generation infrastructure across the country. (October 2009)
An Economic Blueprint for Solving Global Warming is a great resource from NRDC that breaks down the costs and payoffs of global warming solutions in each sector in an interactive graph, issue paper, and fact sheet. (October 2009)
Follow the Latest from The Hub on Twitter