Politicians and governments are used to face a big challenge: New technologies need to replace old ones to make the economy cleaner and more efficient. However, saying goodbye to old technologies means laying off workers. The massive transition from a fossil-fuel-based energy economy to one using clean renewable energy technologies is a prime example. That transition means job losses for tens of thousands of fossil fuel workers. At the same time, the fast-growing solar industry is hiring new works at high speed. A study finds that this growth of solar-related employment could benefit coal workers, by easily absorbing the coal-industry layoffs over the next 15 years and offering full-time careers.
