New York unveils green-collar job programmes

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg last week announced a wide-reaching programme of environmental initiatives designed to double the city's green workforce.

Unveiling the latest phase of the city's high-profile PlaNYC low-carbon initiative, Bloomberg said that the 30 new projects would aim to create 13,000 new jobs by 2018 and further accelerate the development of the city's green economy.

"We hear a lot about the potential of green jobs as a driver of future economic growth, but often the rhetoric is not matched with a real plan to capitalise on opportunities," Bloomberg said.

"The initiatives we're announcing will take advantage of the progressive sustainability practices we continue to put in place in New York City, and will create real green jobs by attracting and growing green businesses and helping the city's workforce meet the demand for green skill-specific jobs."

The raft of initiatives cover five areas: green buildings, onsite renewable energy, carbon trading, greener neighbourhoods, and the creation of a supportive environment for the green economy.

Arguably, the most high-profile initiatives will aim to accelerate the roll out of small-scale renewable energy technologies through the creation of "solar zones". These will fast-track solar planning permits and provide an ombudsman to oversee implementation. The launch of an open-wind demonstration project will also test the performance and safety of small building-based wind turbine systems.

The new schemes will also help New York challenge Europe's dominance of the global carbon trading market and include a new training programme called Green JumpStart NYC. This is designed to help get unemployed workers into paid carbon trading and green finance jobs via underpaid internships. The programme will be run by the State University of New York's Levin Institute.

The support for the carbon trading sector comes despite recent reports that New York officials are reconsidering the state's involvement in the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), over fears the cap-and-trade scheme could become embroiled in legal wrangles with participating firms.