As companies recognize the impact of climate change on their bottom line and customer choice, they are making changes to ensure compliance with government regulation and sustainable practices for the future. A new study by the United Nations Environment Programme, Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, reports that these changes with also generate new jobs.
First, the Bad News
Change is in the making, but the negative impact of climate change is already being felt especially in the agricultural and tourism sectors. In addition, new jobs in areas like recycling are often dirty and dangerous. Such jobs are shipped to countries with little regulation and few benefits. Many green jobs will employ the working poor and the young.
While recognizing this potential for harm, the report focuses on jobs that ultimately preserve or restore the environment and reduce poverty.
Risks
New green jobs will harbor risks and opportunities to people in all countries, but they will occur more often and the consequences will be most far-reaching in the least developed and small island counties. In these places, adaptation to climate change will be most dramatic for many reasons, including sea level rise and wetlands loss. Business and government leaders should recognize that social tensions are also expected to have an impact and polices should be developed to deal with this eventuality.
Opportunities
The report projects that the global market for green and sustainable products and services will double by 2020, growing from $1.37 trillion per year to $2.74 trillion per year. Half of this market will be in the energy sector. The rest will be in sustainable transportation, water, sanitation, and waste management. Related growth will occur in construction, agriculture, and forestry.
Germany has plans to grow in the environmental technology sector from 4% to 16% of output by 2030. Growth is planned in their machine tool and automotive industries. Venture capital is flowing to clean technology, information, and biotechnology in the United States. China is also investing aggressively in green business.
Energy Jobs
Potential growth in the energy sector is huge with 2.3 million people having found jobs recently in renewable energy. Predictions for job growth in wind and solar energy are in the many millions over the next twenty years. Renewable energy jobs already top employment in fossil fuel-related work.
Agriculture related to biofuel creation is also anticipated to rise. As buildings become more energy efficient, jobs will be created to accomplish the tasks in the construction sector.
Waste and recycling management jobs will grow because of the need to conserve resources due to rising costs and supply. Insulation products will also be needed to conserve energy. Conservation initiatives of all sorts will employ people wherever resources are scarce.
Pathways to Sustainability
The basic needs of people will need to be addresses, according to the authors of the report. Society pays for pollution and ill health in many ways. Low-cost measures should be taken to do such things as assess potential, monitor policy progress, address skill development needs, and ensure green workplaces.
Sustainability can only exist with political support through regulation, incentives, targets, standards, and research and development. The UN climate meeting in 2009 in Copenhagen will be an important to moving green job growth forward.
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