A Heat-Pump Job Is Still a Job

The Conversation Canada reports research focused on working conditions and overall job satisfaction among 50 tradespeople in the heat-pump and solar-panel sector across British Columbia.

When the workers were asked why they chose a career in the trades, they responded with things like: “I did it for the money.”

The article argues that if governments and environmental movements are serious about shifting away from highly polluting industries and creating green jobs, they must find ways to appeal to workers who don’t identify as passionate environmentalists. Electricians in the interviews also described the stresses of the “solarcoaster”—the ups and downs of clean-energy rebates offered by various governments. A green job that keeps changing its rules is a hard sell, whatever its environmental credentials.