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Obama urged to create ‘Green New Deal’ – The Boston Globe

Obama urged to create ‘GreenNew Deal’
Boston Globe By Beth Daley 24 Nov 08 The worldwide economic crisis is prompting a growing number of countries to back away from pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in clean energy, just a week before the start of talks in Poland on a new worldwide climate change treaty………………….

But a growing chorus of other businesses, environmentalists, and politicians are calling for a green-based economic recovery.

An enormous federal government investment in clean technology would provide low-cost capital to accelerate energy efficiency, build massive renewable energy projects, and jumpstart a sustainable low-carbon economy, these groups say. Such a Green New Deal, woven into the economic stimulus package being crafted for early next year, could create millions of government-subsidized jobs and build a new energy infrastructure.

“It’s a smart thing to do for the economy and a strategically wonderful thing to do for the environment,” said David Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance, a partnership between the Sierra Club and United Steelworkers that works to develop green jobs. His group points to a University of Massachusetts report earlier this fall that said a $100 billion investment in clean technology could create 2 million new jobs in the next two years.

“It leads us down the path for energy independence,” he said. “It’s a historic opportunity.”

On Saturday, Obama gave his strongest comments yet about making the environment a cornerstone of his economic stimulus plan. He outlined a package to create 2.5 million jobs, that included “building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil…”

Obama urged to create ‘Green New Deal’ – The Boston Globe

November 25, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY