Ecological restoration is a $25 billion industry that generates 220,000 jobs
Critics within big industries such as agriculture and energy have long argued that environmental regulation kills jobs. Yet this economic argument may be over simplistic. A new study has found that although regulation may get rid of some jobs it actually creates more and has the added benefit of protecting the environment and all its essential functions rather than damaging it.
These new jobs are part of what is called the “restoration industry” and it is estimated that restoring ecological systems is now a $25billion per year industry. It also employs 126,000 people directly and an additional 95,000 people indirectly putting it ahead of the coal mining, logging and steel production industries.
Not only do these kind of jobs act as an environmental insurance, protecting essential ecological services such as clean air and water, they also can’t be shipped abroad. They have to be delivered on the ground which could bring benefits to many developing countries that have experienced significant ecological damage and are home to valuable ecosystems such as mangroves or rainforests.
