#5. Green-Collar Jobs
Saving the polar bears would be great, but most Americans won't move on
climate change until it hits something they really care about: the economy.
But opponents of global warming action have always argued that trying to
curb climate change — chiefly by raising the price of fossil-fuel energy
— would hurt the economy and cost Americans jobs. Look again. If America
shifts smartly into cleaner tech, it can create an entirely new class of
jobs: green-collar ones. From making buildings greener to installing solar
panels to working as an organic farmer, going green can create jobs — 6.3
million by 2015, according to Management Information Services, Inc. So when
we save the polar bear, we might also save the American worker.