Green Jobs –What are they,

and how do we create them?

Steven Stone

UNEP

• A business-as-usual approach is no longer feasible: planetary boundaries constrain economic growth as traditionally conceived.

• Science tells us we are approaching and crossing bio-physical tipping points: environmental degradation threatens to undermine our collective well being.

•Threat exacerbated by a mounting social crisis, with growing unemployment and a daunting challenge to provide for new jobs and income opportunities, especially for youth.

•This calls for bold action to find new pathways for creating prosperity, decent work and income within a resource-constrained world.

Rationale: Why is an Inclusive Green Economy needed?

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The two of the defining challenges of the 21st

century:

Current models of growth will undermine productivity overtime

• At least half of the global workforce, the equivalent of 1.5 billion people, will be affected by the transition to a greener economy. 8 key sectors are expected to play a central role: agriculture, forestry, fishing, energy, resource-intensive manufacturing, recycling, building and transport.

Source: ILO 2012, Working towards sustainable development: Opportunities for decent work and social inclusion in a green economy

Green jobs are decent jobs in agriculture, manufacturing or services that:•Reduce consumption of energy and raw materials •Limit green house gas emissions•Minimize waste and pollution•Protect and restore ecosystems

(Source: Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world UNEP/ILO/IOE/ITUC, 2008)

•Jobs are green by products/services or processes•Green jobs include all jobs – shades of green• Measurement is key and ongoing challenge

What are green jobs?

UNEP – GREEN ECONOMY INITIATIVE

• Selecting and driving transformation in key sectors - critical or highly material for greening the global economy

Green Economy: Approach and Focus

UNEP – GREEN ECONOMY INITIATIVE

• On enabling conditions (finance, subsidies, taxes, regulations, and related reforms that achieve GE objective)

FOCUSAPPROACH

taxes, regulations

subsidies

finance

Fisheries

UNEP – GREEN ECONOMY INITIATIVE UNEP – GREEN ECONOMY INITIATIVE

Source: Froese and Pauly (2004)

Business as usual is not an option: State of fish stocks

Reversing harmful subsidies

Investments

Strengthening political consensus

Fiscal policies

Type of subsidies

Impact Example Amount(US dollars in 2003)

Good Enhance the conservation of fish stocks over time

Funding fisheries management/ Using government spending to operate marine protected areas

$ 7.9 bn

Bad Lead to overcapacity and excessive catches

Fuel subsidies $ 16.2 bn

Ugly Can either conserve a fish-stock or deplete it further

Buyback (or decommissioning) to fishing vessel to reduce a fleet size

$ 3 bn

Types of subsidies – leave $ 8 bio ‘good’ subsidies: MPA’s, fleet buyback, skills training

Source: Sumeila et al (2006)

Example: Fisheries sector

UNEP – Green Economy Initiative

Fisheries

India: Rural Employment Guarantee Act

combining social protection and environmental services

• Right to 100 paid working days/year • Adaptation, afforestation, water

conservation/harvesting• 50 m. persons participated (2010-2011)

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Flood Protection

Promoting Green Youth Entrepreneurship in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

Development Objective: Decent work for young Africans, both as a means for self employment, and as job creation for others

Goals: At least 11,000 new businesses established; Creation of at least 23,000 new jobs

Video: Pacesetter Lorna Rutto, Founder of Ecoposthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wFbo8pGNw8

2010-2012:

• e.g 4,680 students participated in green entrepreneurship program of Junior Achievement (world’s largest youth business network)•In a 2011 competition, 31 Student Companies (43%) out of 73 created green businesses

Individual Capacity

Renewable energies create green jobs, but skills need to catch up!•Basic knowledge and competencies•Skills for green jobs•Leadership

ILO

Bringing green energy and green jobs to Bangladesh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7r5wALQg08&feature=player_embedded

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