Research Project

As the climate crisis looms on the horizon, many governmental and scientific authorities agree that it is time to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels toward renewable energy. In the U.S. where fossil fuels generated 60 percent of the electricity in 2022, this change is sure to cause major ripples throughout the country's economy. This paper aims to analyze the potential economic impact of such an energy transition, specifically on employment. Using quantitative data from libraries and publicly available sources, the paper examines the level of job displacement and creation spurred by renewable energy investment. This numerical data is then be cross-examined with qualitative analysis of existing scholarly works focused on employment-related topics like skill mismatching, employment intermittency and wage growth. In addition to employment, other economic markers impacted by energy transition like health care costs and quality of life are studied. When discussing these economic measures, demographic factors like age, race and gender are referenced as well as larger economic concepts such as work versus leisure. Finally, this paper provides policy recommendations to accommodate for the analyzed economic impacts of a transition to renewables.