Bali/Nairobi, 6 December
2007 - As representatives from over 180 countries
gather in Bali to map a post 2012 agreement,
new research shows the challenge of climate
change also presents opportunities for new
industries and employment.
"Millions of new jobs are among the
many silver, if not indeed gold-plated linings
on the cloud of climate change," said
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
"New research reveals that these jobs
are not for just the middle classes ? the
so-called 'green collar' jobs - but also for
workers in construction, sustainable forestry
and agriculture to engineering and transportation,"
he said.
"Talk of environmental sustainability
and climate change often emphasizes the costs,
but downplays the significant employment opportunities
from the transition to a global economy that
is not only resource efficient and without
the huge emissions of greenhouse gases, but
one that also restores environmental and social
values," Steiner continued.
Mr Steiner was referring to the preliminary
draft report, Green Jobs: Can the Transition
to Environmental Sustainability Spur New Kinds
and Higher Levels of Employment?, that was
commissioned by UNEP, in groundbreaking partnership
with the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC). The final report will be released
early next year, but some of the research
covered includes:
- In the US alone, the environmental industry
in 2005 generated more than 5.3 million jobs
- ten times the number in the US pharmaceutical
industry.
- The renewable energy programmes in Germany
and Spain are merely ten years old but have
already created several hundred thousand jobs.
- The Indian city of Delhi is introducing
new eco-friendly compressed natural gas buses
that will create an additional 18,000 new
jobs. - The ethanol programme in Brazil has
created half a million jobs and its bio-diesel
programme is specifically designed to benefit
hundreds of thousands of mostly poor smallholder
farmers.
- By the year 2020, Germany will have more
jobs in the field of environmental technologies
than in its entire automotive industry.
- In Europe, a 20 per cent increase in energy
efficiency would create about a million jobs.
The same applies in emerging and developing
countries.
- In solar heating, China is the global leader.
With combined sales revenues of about $2.5
billion in 2005, more than 1,000 Chinese manufacturers
employed more than 150,000 people. Future
estimates of installed capacity mean employment
could grow substantially in this area.
Commenting further on the report, Mr Steiner
said: "The transition is being spurred
on by the existing Kyoto climate agreement
with its carbon trading and clean development
mechanisms and the anticipation of further,
deeper and more decisive emissions reductions
post-2012. Another factor is the shifting
relationship between environmental advocates,
organized labour and heads of industry from
one of suspicion that environmental regulation
was bad for business and bad for jobs, to
one of cooperation based on mutual self-interest."
New industries to address climate change
will be at the forefront of the 'cleantech'
sector. A new report by UNEP's Sustainable
Energy Finance Initiative (http://www.unepfi.org/)
estimates that investment in renewable energy
has now reached $100 billion and represents
18 per cent of new investments in the power
sector.
A recent report by the US economist Roger
Bezdek concluded that with the right government
signals and investments in research and development,
renewable energy and energy efficiency industries
could create 40 million jobs across the United
States alone by 2030.
"Added together, we are clearly on the
edge of something quite exciting and transformational,"
said Mr Steiner, emphasizing that the "right
government signals" are needed to accelerate
this push across the globe, starting with
the negotiations in Bali.
"Without a strong and decisive emission
reductions regime, the transformational foundations
being laid today could prove to be built on
sand tomorrow. We need to change the subsidies,
tax structures, and accounting methods that
permit the "externalization" of
severe environmental impacts so they are factored
into the costs of doing business on this planet,"
he said.
As part of its work on this issue, UNEP is
an active partner with the ILO under its banner
"Green Jobs" initiative, which supports
a concerted effort by governments, employers
and trade unions to promote environmentally
sustainable jobs and development in a climate
challenged world.
ILO Sustainable Development Specialist, Peter
Poschen, pointed out that, "Adapting
to and mitigating climate change will entail
a transition to new patterns of production,
consumption and employment. Huge opportunities
exist to create green jobs through energy
and industrialization policies that reduce
the environmental footprint. These jobs can
provide decent work and incomes that will
contribute to sustainable economic growth
and help lift people out of poverty. They
are central to the positive link that needs
to be established between climate change and
development. By the same token, the major
investments to adapt to climate change could
provide many new and better jobs for the vulnerable
people who need them most," he said.
Lucien Royer, Director of Occupational Health
and Environment and Sustainable Development
at the ITUC said, "The 'Green Jobs' approach
to climate change embodies positive elements
for tripartite cooperation between governments,
employers and trade unions in building support
for national policy and action. Moreover,
it creates a basis for developing 'Just Transition'
programmes for workers that will be displaced
by change and for strengthening the engagement
of employers with trade unions to help meet
climate targets at the workplace level,"
he said.
Note to Editors
For further information about UNEP's work
on climate change see www.unep.org. Also,
see UNEP's labour and environment initiative
http://www.unep.org/labour_environment/index.asp
Robert Bisset, UNEP Press Officer in Bali
