Renewable energy 'would create new jobs'
21/07/2008(16:21)
New jobs would be created if the Australian government pledges to replace all electricity generated by fossil fuels with renewable sources, according to an expert.
Dr Ray Wills, the chief executive of the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association, has called for the government to copy Al Gore's call for the US to move to renewable power.
He estimates that it would cost around $200 billion (£97 billion) to replace Australia's 45 gigawatts capacity and said that spreading it over 12 years until 2020 would equate to £17 billion per year.
Dr Wills said: " I'm not suggesting it would be simple or easy – the logistics alone would be difficult - but nor do I believe it would be unachievable.
"Nor would it damage the economy – indeed it would create new jobs in new projects and build a more sustainable Australia."
A recent study by the Australian Conservation Foundation claimed that three million new jobs could be created by 2025 if blue collar industries "green up the work they do", The Age newspaper reported.
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