The Economic Impact and Job Potentials for the Chicago Climate Action Plan

Fulfilling the 100-day goal of one of the initiatives contained in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's "Chicago 2011 Transition Plan" - Initiative #52: "Refocus the Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) on economic impact and jobs," The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Civic Consulting Alliance conducted a study on behalf of the City of Chicago, to quantify CCAP's economic development, job creation, and cost reduction potentials. The study also devised strategies to achieve such potentials.

The study found that Chicago has the potential to double its "green jobs" sector, adding another 25,000 jobs to the city by the end of the decade. In addition, Chicago residents and businesses could save up to $1.2 billion of the almost $7 billion that they spend annually on energy, water, waste, and fuel.  This level of growth and investment would further establish Chicago as a leader in addressing global climate change and advancing the low-carbon economy.

This study presents a call to action that identifies three strategic priorities on how the economic development benefits can be maximized: (1) Accelerating proven green practices, (2) Promoting innovation and "Centers of Excellence", and (3) Driving broader engagement and leadership to build sustained cultural change.

This study's report can be found here.