Here’s a nifty chart from a new report from the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives-BC—showing, among other things, that service jobs in British Columbia are low-emission jobs.
My first thought was that the chart shows that the gradual economy-wide shift towards services could be a good thing for the province’s emissions.
But my first thought was probably wrong: what the chart really demonstrates is the overwhelming importance of a handful of economic sectors—predominantly energy—to the province’s overall emissions. As the report points out, the four sectors with the highest GHGs per worker account for just 8 percent of total employment, but 68 percent of total industrial and commercial emissions. If emissions from oil, gas, and electricity generation go up even slightly, then the province’s emissions are likely to rise overall, regardless of any shifts in employment in other parts of the economy.
John Newcomb
CCPA-BC report is interesting, but so full of command-and-control prescriptions that not much of it will be reflected in actual policies, even with an centre-left socialist NDP government in power in BC next year. Massive economic and urban re-structuring just isn’t realistic anywhere now. Maybe in the future, but doubtful.”Electricity generation” workers at #2 highest GHGs rests on the CCPA including natural gas generation, and as they note, BC Hydro is going for more electrification. However, natgas is one of BC’s biggest resources, so don’t expect much change there. “net of transportation” is problematic omission, because in the service sector for example, one needs to include not only workers’ transportation, but also that of the serviced customers. Maybe the Sightline maps that appeared several years ago showing high densities in Vancouver and Victoria might be evidence that service sector transportation could be efficient. Well, kudos to CCPA for good discussion and to Sightline for promoting the CCPA contribution.Thanks!