Clean Energy Jobs

America can't afford to miss out on one of the largest new economic revolutions

Clean Energy Jobs in Indiana

Clean Energy Jobs | Opportunities for Industry and Business | Costs of Inaction

Clean Energy Jobs in Indiana Less Carbon, More Jobs: This map locates some of the hundreds of clean energy businesses in Indiana.

Clean energy already provides thousands of Indiana workers with good jobs during hard times. This fact sheet collects several sources of information showing how accelerating the clean-energy transition will benefit Indiana's economy — and, conversely, the costs and consequences of failing to act.

Clean Energy Jobs

Less Carbon, More Jobs

This map1 tells the story of existing companies across Indiana that will get new customers and create jobs with a cap on carbon.2

Profiles of Clean Energy Businesses in Indiana

Sunrise Solar in St. John is one of the many businesses already flourishing from the rising interest in clean energy. Read their story to learn more about clean energy jobs.3

The Clean Energy Economy [PDF]

The clean energy industry in Indiana is booming (job growth of 17.9%) even while overall job growth is declining (job losses of 1.0%). By 2007, 1,268 businesses had generated nearly 17,300 Indiana jobs [PDF] in the clean energy economy, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Venture capitalists are investing $26 million in Indiana's clean energy businesses.4

  Clean Businesses (2007) Clean Jobs (2007) Clean Job Growth
(1998-2007)		 Overall Job Growth
(1998-2007)		 Venture Capital
(2006-2008)
Indiana 1,268 17,298 17.9% -1.0% $26,000,000

Opportunities for Industry and Business

Both the Department of Energy and McKinsey and Company have identified significant, untapped opportunities for key industries in Indiana to prosper under a clean energy economy.

Costs of Inaction

According to a June 2009 report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, inaction on global warming will cause significant harm to the Midwest.10 Lake Michigan's water level will fall by 1.9 feet, severely harming Indiana's shipping and the manufacturing industries that rely on it. Indiana's farmers—who provide $8 billion [PDF] for the state11 —will lose ground to disease-causing pathogens, insect pests, and droughts.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that global warming will hurt the health of Indiana's citizens [PDF], as well as its transportation infrastructure.12 And the National Wildlife Federation shows how global warming will damage the 35,226 jobs provided by Indiana's $1.8 billion hunting, wildlife-viewing, and angling industries [PDF], which employ more than 40,600 Hoosiers.13

Start the Clean Energy Economy Now

A nationwide cap on greenhouse gas emissions would jumpstart a new energy economy in Indiana and accelerate the growth of good-paying, clean jobs. If we fail to act soon, the new markets for clean energy will grow overseas instead.

Indiana can't afford to miss out on one of the largest new economic revolutions.
www.edf.org/CleanEnergyJobs

  1. Less Carbon, More Jobs: Mapping the Green Economy: Indiana. Environmental Defense Fund. http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=34065&state=IN
  2. Less Carbon, More Jobs: Why a Cap on Carbon? Environmental Defense Fund. http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=36571
  3. Less Carbon, More Jobs: Company Case Studies and Profiles. Environmental Defense Fund. http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=35947
  4. Susan Urahn, Joshua Reichert, et. al.: The Clean Energy Economy: Executive Summary. June 2009. The Pew Charitable Trusts. p. 8. http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Clean_Economy_Report_Web.pdf
  5. Environmental Defense Fund: Mitigating industry costs and improving competitiveness with a carbon cap: Profile on Steel. Citing the Department of Energy: Save Energy Now Case Study: Steel. 2008. http://www.edf.org/documents/9751_Mitigating-industry-costs-Steel-Indiana.pdf
  6. Environmental Defense Fund: Mitigating industry costs and improving competitiveness with a carbon cap: Profile on Metal Manufacturing. Citing the Department of Energy c/o Oak Ridge National Lab: Save Energy Now Program. 2009. http://www.edf.org/documents/9778_Mitigating-industry-costs-Metal-Manufacturing-Indiana.pdf
  7. Environmental Defense Fund: Mitigating industry costs and improving competitiveness with a carbon cap: Profile on Chemicals. Citing McKinsey and Company: Global GHG Abatement Cost Curve for the Chemicals Sector, Version 2.0, Societal Perspective, 2030 Timeframe. 2009. http://www.edf.org/documents/9790_Mitigating-industry-costs-Chemicals-Indiana.pdf
  8. Environmental Defense Fund: Mitigating industry costs and improving competitiveness with a carbon cap: Profile on Cement. Citing McKinsey and Company: Global GHG Abatement Cost Curve for the Cement Sector, Version 2.0, Societal Perspective, 2030 Timeframe. 2009. http://www.edf.org/documents/9798_Mitigating-industry-costs-Cement-Indiana.pdf
  9. National Wildlife Federation: "Charting a New Path for Indiana's Electricity Generation and Use." http://www.nwf.org/globalwarming/statefactsheets.cfm
  10. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. Report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. http://www.globalchange.gov/us-impacts
  11. United States Department of Agriculture, Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service: 2008 State Agricultural Overview. http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ag_Overview/AgOverview_IN.pdf
  12. Union of Concerned Scientists: Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Impacts on Indiana Communities and Ecosystems. 2003. http://ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/ucssummaryinfinal.pdf
  13. National Wildlife Federation: Global Warming and Indiana. 2009. http://www.nwf.org/globalwarming/pdfs/Indiana.pdf