From Change.org

The Clean Energy Economy Is Already Booming

Without much attention from policymakers, or funding from the public trough, a low-carbon economy has already taken off in the United States.  The jobs being created nationwide in clean energy are helping to bolster the nation’s environmental sustainability and cut greenhouse gas emissions — and expanding at a faster rate than the U.S. economy overall.

Research by The Pew Charitable Trusts, published in a new report titled “The Clean Energy Economy,” found that:

• Between 1998 and 2007, jobs in clean energy grew at a faster rate than overall jobs.
• By 2007, more than 68,200 businesses across all 50 states and the District of Columbia accounted for about 770,000 jobs.
• Jobs in clean energy, both white-collar and blue-collar, grew at a rate of 9.1 percent, while total jobs grew at a rate of 3.7 percent.
• Clean tech has not been immune to the economic meltdown, but it’s proving to be an especially resilient sector: Although venture capital investment in clean tech dropped by 48 percent in the first three months of 2009 (compared to the same period in 2008), investment across the board was down 61 percent during the same period.
• Employment in clean energy covers a broad swath of blue-collar and white-collar jobs, including plumbers, machinists, scientists, engineers, bankers and marketing consultants.  Annual incomes ranging from around $21,000 to $111,000.

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Airbus hopes these attention-grabbing efforts will jump-start competition and collaboration for continued development of alternative fuels. “Testing today will support future second generation bio-fuels,” said the company’s press release. “Fuel and energy are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons,” said Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders. Enders cited “cross industry and cross border collaboration” as the key to an “eco-efficient enterprise.”

At a time when the aviation industry is already under great pressure over the impact of aircraft emissions, Airbus’ record-making flight will no doubt spark an alternative-fuel fire.