A new study says California’s move to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could negatively impact three-million jobs statewide.
The report is being released as the California Air Resources Board launches a series of efforts to curb global warming linked to exhaust from vehicles and some industries.
Carol Zabin is with UC Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research and Education which did the study. Zabin says it finds that most of the jobs that would be affected are in the automotive and construction fields.
“There are a high concentration of high paying, blue collar union jobs in these sectors,” says Zabin. “And, these jobs are disproportionately filled by men, Latinos and by workers than below-average years of education. So, they’ve been important paths to the middle class.”
Scott Wetch is with the Coalition for Green Jobs. He says the ARB hasn’t done enough research on how the clean air measures may stunt job growth.
“We think that they’ve run down this path with their eyes wide shut. And, we just want to make sure that the communities that are impacted receive the job retraining and the sort of incentives that need to be put in place to create good, high paying, good benefit jobs,” says Wetch.
Democratic Assemblymembers Sandre Swanson and Tony Mendoza have introduced a resolution urging the ARB to do more analysis on the issue.
