Although some critics have scoffed at the whole notion of a "Green jobs economy," a new report issued today by the Brookings Institute should give them pause.
The report says that the green technology and clean power industries are currently employing more workers than those who work in the dirtier aspects of energy, such as coal and oil. We're talking jobs in sectors like solar, wind, waste water recycling, public transportation and energy efficiency retrofits.
Brookings reports that there are currently 2.7 million jobs in America that fit into these sectors - even more than the biosciences industry.
But the numbers are depressing when it comes to Florida. By the measure of percentage of green jobs vs. all other jobs in the Sunshine State, our 102,967 make up just 1.4 percent of all such jobs. By that measure, the state ranks 49th in the nation (for those of you who skipped history, that's second to last).
