Green strongrecoverystrong - University of Massachusetts Amherst.pdf

Green recovery A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy robert Pollin, Heidi Garrett-Peltier, James Heintz, and Helen Scharber Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) University of Massachusetts-Amherst Kit Batten and Bracken Hendricks Project Managers, Center for American Progress September 2008 Prepared under commission with the Center for American Progress Center for American Progress Political Economy Research Institute Introduction and summary or the past year, the U.S. economy has suffered through a serious economic Fslowdown caused by the collapse of the housing market bubble, the destabilizing effects of the housing implosion on financial markets, and the sharp rise in oil prices. The resulting increase in unemployment—reaching 5.7 percent in July 2008—is in fact even worse when taking into account a labor market where people are working fewer hours than they wish, taking pay cuts, or becoming discouraged from looking for work. What’s more, most evidence suggests the slowdown will continue for at least another year, extending in exaggerated form an eight-year pattern of economic perfor- mance that has done little for most Americans. This report outlines a green economic recovery program to strengthen the U.S. econ- omy over the next two years and leave it in a better position for sustainable prosperity. In the pages that follow, we detail how to expand job opportunities by stimulating eco- nomic growth, stabilizing the price of oil, and making significant strides toward fight- ing global warming and building a gree