What are arguments for renewable energy?

The biggest argument against renewable energy is that its use will hurt our economy in the short term, which is magnified now by the current economic struggles. This is because the coal and oil industry is responsible for keeping millions of people employed while supplying cheap energy thanks to infrastructure that is already in place and government subsidies. Alternative energy production can be initially more expensive, but only because the technology is still new and needs huge economic investment to get up and running efficiently.