Climate Policies Promise to Create Millions of New Jobs, Study Finds
International pursuit of low carbon policies has the potential to create 20 million jobs between now and 2020 in low-carbon energy in eight of the world’s leading economies, according to a new study published today.
“This report shows that the 93 heads of state meeting in Copenhagen don’t have to make a choice between jumpstarting lagging economies and promoting a clean energy policy,”said John Podesta, Director of the Center for American Progress. “By transforming the global economy beyond dirty carbon energy, the Global Climate Network has shown that leaders can easily make the prudent choice to create millions of jobs in a new green and clean economy.”
The report – Low-Carbon Jobs in an Interconnected World – comes from the Global Climate Network (GCN), a unique alliance of influential think tanks coordinated by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) in London. As world leaders gather in Copenhagen for talks on cutting carbon emissions, there is a growing appreciation for the potential benefits of action on climate change, which could lead to higher-skilled, more fully employed societies, could be lost if the debate continues to focus on the costs of action. The report argues that if governments take positive and immediate action to expand low-carbon energy markets, the benefits in terms of job creation and the increased welfare that employment brings to economies will be felt worldwide.
- China: Government wind, solar and hydro power targets could lead to the creation of 6.79 million jobs.
- United States: Out of a possible 1.9 million extra low-carbon jobs, making, new US and export markets in smart electricity meter technology alone could generate 416,000.
- India: Implementation of the Government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change could create 10.5 million jobs in wind, solar and biofuels.
The study shows that more jobs can be created through a comprehensive shift towards a low-carbon economy as opposed to continuing to develop as we currently are. As well as creating jobs through cleaner energy, energy efficiency, forestation and a green life style, this approach would also reduce carbon emissions substantially. The report emphasizes the following critical factors for creating these job opportunities:
- Sufficient financing to ensure that a transition to low-carbon energy takes place across the globe and that workers are in a position to benefit
- ‘Low-carbon industrial strategies’ – packages of government policy to stimulate low-carbon technology markets and create jobs to be introduced in all major economies to trigger a shift towards a low carbon economy
- Support for workers in high carbon sectors who may lose out in a new carbon economy so they can remain in work while they retrain or to be given assistance to help them prepare for work in a low-carbon economy.
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