There is no more fashionable solution to the current global recession than "green jobs." Many countries are all eagerly promoting clean-technology industries. It sounds like the ultimate win-win deal: create jobs, cut down on energy dependence, and save the planet from global warming. Ever since the recession began, governments, environmental groups, and even labor unions have been spinning out reports on just how many jobs might be created by these new industries—estimates that range from tens of thousands to millions. Those kinds of predictions, however, may be overoptimistic. As a new study from McKinsey points out, the clean-energy industry doesn't have much in common with old, labor-intensive manufacturing industries like steel and cars. A more accurate comparison would be to the semiconductor industry, which was also expected to create a boom in high-tech jobs but today employs mainly robots. Green-tech workers now make up only 0.6 percent of the American workforce. McKinsey figures that clean energy won't command much more of the total job market in the years ahead. On the other hand, a booming green sector could fuel job growth in other industries. Here, too, the story of the computer chip is instructive. Today the big chip makers like Intel employ only 0.4 percent of the U.S. workforce. But indirectly they helped create millions of jobs by making other industries more efficient. McKinsey says that the same process could play out today if governments focused less on building a clean-energy industry and more on greening every part of the existing economy. U.S. efforts to promote corn-based ethanol (乙醇), for instance, are incredibly counter-productive. The state is creating inefficient sectors, with jobs that are not likely to last. A better approach would be to push businesses and consumers to do the basics, such as to improve building insulation (绝缘材料) and replace outdated heating and cooling equipment. In places like California, 30 percent of the summer energy load is sucked up by air conditioning, so the state government now offers low-interest loans for consumers to replace old units with more efficient ones. Consumers pay back the loans through their taxes. When that money is spent, it drives demand and thus job growth in other areas.

单选题 What does the author say about "green jobs" in the first paragraph?

单选题 Governments, environmental groups and labor unions predict that clean-energy industries_______.

单选题 Why does McKinsey say "clean energy won't command much more of the total job market in the years ahead" (Lines 5-6, Para. 2)?

单选题 In what way do the big chip makers like Intel contribute to the American labor market?

单选题 California state government allows consumers to update their air-conditioners with low-interest loans mainly because _______.