What we're doing wrong

Green jobs

11th October 2008

A UN report says an investment of $630-billion – just shy of the $700-billion U.S. rescue package – through to 2030 could create at least 20 million jobs in the renewable-energy sector. “Imagine if some of those stimulus packages could be targeted towards not maintaining the old economy of the 20th century but investing in the new economy of the 21st century.”

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With a recession looming, environmentalists fear that climate change will be neglected as governments scramble to rescue the ailing economy.

But dealing with one issue does not have to mean abandoning the other. A United Nations report says climate change and economic development “cannot be addressed separately” and dealing with both can be done only by the creation of “green jobs.”

The Green Jobs Initiative – launched by the UN Environment Program and trade and labour organizations – argues that investment in environmentally friendly sectors such as public transportation, waste recycling and renewable-energy generation is the best way to propel long-term job creation and improve conditions for the billion people worldwide who live in poverty.

The global market is estimated to be worth $1.37-trillion (U.S.) and is projected to double by 2020. Some of the biggest areas of growth are in developing countries. For example, solar technology employs 600,000 people in China, where green ventures account for 19 per cent of total investment.

In particular, the UN report calls for a greater focus on “decent” work, noting that jobs in the environmental sectors in developing countries are often dangerous and unhealthy. Recycling and waste management in China employs ten million people, but because it is usually done at a small fraction of the cost as in developed nations (often illegally and by hand), recyclers are frequently exposed to extremely dangerous levels of chemicals and heavy metals.

Governments are moving on an unprecedented scale to prevent bank failures and stimulate the stock markets. But “imagine if some of those stimulus packages could be targeted towards not maintaining the old economy of the 20th century but investing in the new economy of the 21st century,” said Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP.

For example, the report says an investment of $630-billion – just shy of the $700-billion U.S. rescue package – through to 2030 could create at least 20 million jobs in the renewable-energy sector.

Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail

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• Tags:
• Energy
• Green jobs
• Money Matters
• Recycling
• Research

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