Lisa asks…
According to the Dept of Energy, 0bama’s 20 billion spent on “green jobs” has cost $5 million ?
for each permanent job. Do you think we should continue wasting taxpayer money to support an industry that is not ready for such massive taxpayer spending?
Wouldn’t it be better to put some scientists together with a small manufacturing company to work on producing viable energy alternatives, before wasting so much money on companies that are going bankrupt or moving overseas to produce their product once the taxpayers have gotten them started?
The Expert answers:
No, i don’t.
Donna asks…
What will be the most needed jobs in the new eco-economy?
What careers / job skills will be most needed as it becomes clearer every day that we need to find alternative energy sources & a solution to global climate change? As a follow up, what companies today are leading the efforts to accomplish these goals?
The Expert answers:
Dealing with PEOPLE will always be required in any industry.
Dealing with customers OR employees.
Managers of people are always needed. People are people regardless of the industry. There will always be HR departments.
Think about people skills, psychology, and business management. Don’t get locked into ONE industry that you need to rely on. You can fit in ANYWHERE with good people skills.
Robert asks…
“Alternative Energy”?
Why are so many on the right against forms of energy other than oil? They say it will destroy our economy; that makes no sense. Oil may be a cash cow for some but anyone who has studied business knows that the cash cow is the 3rd of 4 stages in a product life cycle. Developing new energy sources is one of the BEST things we can do as Americans. It will develop new industries, new jobs, grow our economy in something other than the “service sector”, grow our own energy independence, wrestle back some of our financial future from China, and help to break the need for us to be jerked around in the middle east. This is all good stuff. Why do so many on the right badmouth alternative energy development? It doesn’t make sense why so many want to stay on the oil teat.
The Expert answers:
I do not think they are against other forms of energy, they just understand that there is no other source as efficient and cheap as oil yet. There is no point in investing in an energy source that few people will actually use because it is so expensive.
George asks…
Will Environmentalism be less of a concern to Americans as environmentally-hazardous jobs get shipped overseas?
Since a lot of the industrial, manufacturing, and mining jobs are being outsourced to places like China and Latin America, doesn’t that mean there’ll be less industrial emissions on American soil?
Also, as fuel efficiency increases and alternative–energy are poised to enter the market, doesn’t this mean there should be far less carbon produced on US roads and highways?
So do you think environmentalism will become more of a concern for, say, China and Guatemala, than the United States?
The Expert answers:
No, we will just try exporting environmentalism to those counties as well. We care about the environment everywhere
Michael asks…
Which 1 is it???!!! will alternative energy hurt or help the economy and why??!!?
Some say it will help the economy because it creates jobs and indirect monetary interaction by loans and increase activity in local stores and less reliance and spending on foreign fuels. but others say that it will harm the economy long term by displacing the jobs of oil companies, which I guess there is a lot that it connected ( lots of products have ingredients derived from oil). And some other arguments but I forget…. So what will alternative energy REALLY do to the economy?? …..now, I do realize I’m giving off the impression that I am incredibly ignorant about the topic, AND yes, I admit that I don’t have a deep understanding of the topic and I’m trying to correct it right now.
The Expert answers:
It’s not that hard. Alternative energy helps the economy if and when it is economical. In other words, when it is profitable and more efficient that the fossil fuel alternative. And I mean in the absence of subsidies and government intrusion. When alt energy can stand on its own, that’s when it’ll help the economy. Until then, it hurts the economy. Even if it creates jobs. Yes the government can force job creation in one sector if it wants, but at what price? One must realize there is an opportunity cost to distorting markets and making them do something unnatural — what’s not obvious is the other jobs that are destroyed and the economic efficiency lost as a result of the market distortion.
That does not necessarily mean we shouldn’t use alt energy, if we decide there are reasons more important than the economy to do so. But don’t kid yourself that it helps the economy when it doesn’t.
If the economy left to its own free operation wants to import oil or burn coal, that’s because oil and coal are the most economically efficient choices. And that’s pretty much the situation today.
You use the future tense “will”, so I’ll point out that things change over time. Someday as oil becomes more scarce and expensive, and technology improves alternatives, then alternate energy will at some point become the more economical choice, and we’ll all voluntary move to alt energy without any government prodding.
Peyton above is wrong to say that solar and wind have no cost after the initial outlay. People assume that since there is no fossil fuel being consumed. But they have a LOT of cost, which is why they are more expensive than fossil fuels. They use up a lot of land that must be leased, consume a lot of labor, and require unusually long transmission of electricity to get to where people need it, with all the inherent waste. None of those things are free. Also the initial capital outlay is properly depreciated, recognized as a monthly expense over many years — according to universally accepted accounting practices that reflect economic reality. Hence the cost of building a solar plant or wind farm is indeed an ongoing monthly expense spread out over decades. Hardly free. That’s why a coal plant per kilowatt produced is far cheaper, even including the tons of coal consumed everyday. (Coal is amazingly cheap).
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