GREEN JOBS
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT
AND ITS PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION
March 2017
Green job?
Green job?
Green job?
Green job?
Green Job?
Ecological Overshoot Day
On August 8, 2016, we had used as much from nature as our
planet can renew in the whole 2016
Ecological overshoot = We use more ecological resources and services than nature
can regenerate through overfishing, overharvesting forests and emitting more carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere than forests can sequester.
Two planets will be needed by 2050
1900
2002
2050
Source: http://www.stockholmresilience.org
2100
Planetary boundaries: our operating space
AIR: Pollution, Ozon layer depletion and
Climate change
ENERGY: access, efficiency, mix
(renewable energies)
BIODIVERSITY: conservation, sustainable
use, fair sharing of benefits
LAND: soil degradation, desertification,
deforestation
WATER: fresh water depletion, water
pollution, ocean acidification
WASTE: solid waste, chemicals and
hazardous substances, e-waste
Source: http://www.stockholmresilience.org
How is labour affected by climate change?
Climate impacts on workers and enterprises everywhere, however
capacities to respond differ significantly
Bangladesh, 2007, Cyclone Sidr
disrupted several hundred
thousand small businesses and
adversely affected 567,000 jobs.
Philippines, December 2014, Typhoon
Hagupit affected around 800,000
workers, with their source of livelihood
damaged or disrupted overnight.
United States, 2012, hurricane Sandy left
150,000 workers displaced and
employment was overall reduced by over
11,000 workers in New Jersey in 2012.
How is labour affected by climate change?
Rising temperatures will lead to major disruptions in agriculture,
especially in poor rural areas
Agricultural production, including access to food, in many
developing countries is projected to be severely compromised.
E.g. in some African countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture
could be reduced by up to 50%. This would further adversely
affect food security and exacerbate malnutrition (source: IPCC)
Limited access to improved seeds, fertilisers, technology
innovation, irrigation systems, to make their crops more
resilient.
No insurance to protect workers from losses: a drought, a flood
or an illness can cause poverty and hunger due to loss of
livelihoods.
Women farmers currently account for 45-80 per cent of all food
production in developing countries.
Rationale
Jobs as a means to address two defining
challenges of the XXI century
Environmental
challenge:
Averting climate change
Protecting life-support
on Earth
Social challenge:
Decent work for all
Well-being and dignity
for the excluded
Rationale: job-creation potential
Between 15 and 60 million new jobs can be created globally
ILO’s research:
• BAU scenario (ILO GEL model)
• Productivity level drop 2.4% by 2030;
7.2% by 2050
• Shift to Green Economy (ILO GEL model)
• 0.5-2% Net job gains = 15-60 million jobs
globally
• Multi-factor productivity + by 1.5% by
2020; 5% by 2050
• Significant gains from major sectors:
agriculture, forestry, fishing, energy,
resource-intensive manufacturing,
recycling, buildings and transport
Rationale: addressing impacts on
employment as economies go green
New job creation
Additional new jobs
will be created
Renewable energy sector; energy performance
service companies; mobility services
Elimination
Certain jobs may be
eliminated without
direct replacement
Inefficient coal mining; packaging (materials
discouraged or banned);
Substitution
Some employment
will be substituted
Shifting from fossil fuels to RE&EE, automobiles to
mass transit, waste disposal to recycling, primary
metals production to secondary production
Transformation
Many existing jobs
will be redefined
Existing jobs greened along with changed workplace
practices and methods.
Supply-chain effects (steel for wind turbines)
WHAT ARE GREEN JOBS?
Working definition
Jobs are green when they help reduce negative environmental impact,
and lead to environmentally, economically and socially sustainable
enterprises and economies.
Green jobs are decent jobs in agriculture, manufacturing or service
that:
Improve energy and raw materials efficiency
Limit greenhouse gas emissions
Minimize waste and pollution
Protect and restore ecosystems
Support adaptation to the effects of climate change
In practice?
Process
Reducing energy
and resource
intensity
Eco-efficiency
Reducing and
recycling waste
Product and services
Nature conservation
Organic agricultural
products (certified)
Ecosystem
support
Green textiles (green
labelling)
Natural resource
management
Eco-tourism (certified)
Green construction
(certified)
Green financing
Green jobs are also decent
Guaranteeing rights at work
Respect of the ILO International Labour Standards
Creating jobs
Equal opportunities, freely chosen, productive and gainful
Extending social protection
Decent salary, social protection coverage, occupational safety and health
Promoting social dialogue
Freedom of association and collective bargaining
Gender equality Non discrimination
Environmental
impact
Decent work
HOW CAN GREEN JOBS BE
PROMOTED?
World Renewable Energy Employment by Technology
While growth in employment slowed compared to previous years, the total
number of jobs in renewables worldwide continued to rise, in stark contrast with
depressed labour markets in the broader energy sector
Where are jobs in renewable energy?
Green jobs in practice
• ILO SCORE India : ‘Green SMEs, Win SMEs'
• Green jobs Zambia: Construction sector
• From Waste to Green: Albania
The ILO’s Green Jobs Programme
• ILO’s commitment to act on climate
change and to promote resourceefficient and low-carbon economies
and societies through the lens of
the world of work.
• Decent work is a cornerstone:
efforts to reduce adverse
environmental impact must lead to
job-rich economies and fair
societies with employment
opportunities for all.
• Engage with governments,
enterprises and workers to build
capacity, develop skills, create
and share knowledge in support
of just transitions to sustainable
economies.
Since its creation in 2008, it has
progressively assisted over 30 countries
through dedicated
services and areas of work
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/projects/lang--en/index.htm
« Just transition » simply defined
A just transition means that the
burden of change that benefits
everyone will not be placed
disproportionately on a few
(ITUC)
A just transition for all implies that responses
to climate change should maximize
opportunities for decent work creation and
ensure social justice, rights and social
protection for all leaving no one behind.
2013
ILC Conclusions
2014
GB call for TEM
2015
TEM Draft
Guidelines
2015
GB adoption of
the Guidelines