Efforts to reduce climate change could lead to millions more
jobs worldwide, according to a report released Wednesday by
the UN.
The global market for environmental services and products is
projected to double from $US1.37 ($NZ2) trillion to $US2.74
trillion by 2020, according to a study cited in the UN
Environmental Program report.
"Moving towards a more sustainable development path will mean
major changes in the production and consumption patterns of
all countries," Juan Somavia, director-general of the
International Labor Organisation, said to reporters at the
United Nations.
The move can also work for "the poorest of the poor," he
said, adding that half of the 2.3 million jobs in renewables
today are in the developing world.
But the report warned that many of these jobs can be "dirty,
dangerous and difficult," in sectors including agriculture
and recycling where low pay, insecure employment contracts
and exposure to hazardous materials are common.
Somavia said this has to change, and there are already ways
to work toward better conditions. In Brazil, "we have seen
recycling workers organizing in cooperatives, with better
access to markets, improved working conditions and higher
incomes.
" Green jobs reduce the environmental impact of enterprises
and economic sectors to levels that are ultimately
sustainable.
The report said green jobs include work in agriculture,
industry, services and administration that contributes to
preserving or restoring the quality of the environment.
Investments in improved energy efficiency in buildings could
generate an additional 2 million to 3.5 million green jobs in
Europe and the United States, the report said.
It also said that employment in alternative energies may rise
to 2.1 million in wind and 6.3 million in solar power by
2030, and that 12 million could be employed in biomass and
biomass related industries such as agriculture.
"It's a global challenge that will happen in enterprises and
work places all over the world," Somavia said.
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