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| Airbus A320 |
Here's an example of how going green gets you jobs: American Airlines just
announced that it will buy a majority of its new planes from Airbus, because their planes are 15% more fuel efficient than Boeing's. Glenn Hurowitz at Grist
gives the details.... In an earlier
article he notes that Airbus got 730 orders for new planes at the recent Paris Air Show, compared to Boeing's 142.
That's $72 B vs $22 B and an
estimated one million jobs Europe will be getting that America won't.
In America we can't even agree to make light bulbs more efficient. The rest of the world, meanwhile, has their eye on the future.
UPDATE: The New York Times has the story
here, saying Boeing has been "chastened" by the world's response to the Airbus plane.
David,
ReplyDeleteOne needs to differentiate between "green" that is driven on it's own by economics without subsidy, mandate etc. and the alternative.
"Green" jobs that require subsidy/mandate (e.g. wind/solar) ultimately hurt the economy. Replacing a low cost component with a high cost one reduces overall efficiency of the economy and produces a lower overall standard of living.
On the other hand, using CFLs is an example that makes economic sense and is a net positive for the consumer/economy.
If going "green" saves the consumer/economy money then market forces will make it happen. One doesn't need subsidies/mandates.
We are currently replacing a 20mpg car with a 40mpg car. Are we "green" of just looking to save money? Are the makers of the 40mpg car "green" jobs?