ILO: Green economy can create 24m jobs globally by 2030
If the right policies to promote a greener economy are put in place, 24 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030, a new International Labor Organization (ILO) report said. The World Employment and Social Outlook 2018: Greening with Jobs said action to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius will result in sufficient job creation to more than offset job losses of six million elsewhere, Xinhuanet wrote.
“The findings of our report underline that jobs rely heavily on a healthy environment and the services that it provides,” ILO Deputy Director General Deborah Greenfield said at the launch.
Greenfield said the green economy can enable millions more people to overcome poverty and deliver improved livelihoods for this and for future generations.
At the regional level, there will be net job creation in the Americas of some three million, in Asia and the Pacific of around 14 million, and Europe of two million jobs, resulting from measures taken in the production and use of energy, said the ILO report.
Catherine Saget, the lead author of the report said at a press conference: “Policy changes in these regions could offset the anticipated job losses or their negative impact.
“Low — and some middle — income countries still need support to develop data collection and adopt and finance strategies towards a just transition to an environmentally sustainable economy and society that includes everyone from all groups of society.”
She noted that in Asia and Africa a large proportion of the workforce is in agriculture where environmentally friendly measures can be implemented.
To create the new jobs, policymakers will have to adopt sustainable practices in the energy sector, including changes in the energy mix, promoting the use of electric vehicles and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.