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6 October, 2008
Following the launching of a major report, “Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low Carbon World,” there was a meeting of the Global Policy Innovations Program, held at the Carnegie Council, New York, on 30 September. A series of speakers, including Jill Kubit, Sean Sweeney, Heather Grady, and Peter Poschen reacted to the report’s findings.
The report was commissioned and funded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as part of the Green Jobs Initiative jointly mounted by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the ILO, and the International Organisation of Employers. It was produced by the Worldwatch Institute, with technical assistance from the Cornell University Global Labour Institute.
The report focused on the creation of millions of new environmentally-friendly jobs around the world, while at the same time underscoring the need for fair transition for workers affected by climate change and new initiatives to cut carbon emissions. For instance, in Germany, environmental technology is expected to grow the number of jobs four-fold to 16% of industrial output by the year 2030.
The report does say too few green jobs are being created for the most vulnerable of workers: the 2.5 billion working poor – 43% of the total global workforce – and the 500 million young people about to enter the global workforce over the next ten years.
ITUC Gen. Sec. Guy Ryder
“This report shows the massive potential for new jobs in green products and services and underlines just how important it is for governments, many of which have paid little or no attention to the social and employment aspects of climate change,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. “We know that there is little if any chance of the global goals to cut carbon emissions being met until governments put their full weight behind the green jobs agenda,” Ryder added.