For generations, the action to fight climate change was considered largely as running counter to economic growth, with “going green” implying a sacrifice of prosperity for the sake of the environment. Through research and education, we now know better. By taking action to mitigate climate change, companies are promoting sustainable growth and creating high-quality employment.

Worldwide, an estimated 5.7 million people were employed directly or indirectly in the global renewable-energy industry in 2012 – a figure that could triple by 2030 according the World Economic Forum.

Of course, the development of renewable energy alone is not adequate to tackle climate change. Shrewder ways of managing the planet’s natural assets – its forests, freshwater supplies, soils, and biodiversity – are also needed to enhance the environment’s capacity to absorb carbon-dioxide emissions, while growing the capacity of communities and countries to adapt to the climate change already underway.

While green jobs could very well be a game changer in the fight against climate change, it also has the potential to drive down unemployment in South Africa but the fear is that green jobs could end up replacing the jobs we currently have.

Environmental Scientist, Christelle Greyling says rather than being replaced, the jobs will be transferred.

“We are talking about a slow transition where we are talking about moving from unsustainable practices to sustainable practices and that means that jobs won’t just be lost, it will be transferred from one sector to another.”

Though some job losses are inevitable, as carbon-intensive industries give way to more green businesses. Managing these losses is integral to ensuring a just transition to a climate-neutral economy.

The good news is that the seven most highly polluting industries, which account for 80% of CO2 emissions, employ just 10% of the labour force. Job growth in the low-carbon economy can easily compensate for these losses.

Natural disasters which will increase in rate of recurrence and severity as global temperatures rise, are already taking their toll. In 2013 a tsunami ravaged Japan. Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst to have struck the US in New Orleans in 2005, led to 40,000 job losses that year. Cyclone Sidr, which ravaged Bangladesh in 2007, disrupted several hundred thousand small businesses and adversely affected more than 560,000 jobs. In other words, climate action will not only create new jobs; it will also save existing ones.

Greyling says she’s proud of the commitment South Africa has made to extending its green footprint.

South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Program kicked off in 2003 and generated one million employment opportunities during its first five-year phase and aims to create 4.5 million more. In addition to renewable energy production, the program emphasizes wetland and forest rehabilitation and fire management. It addresses social inclusion, with many of those employed coming from vulnerable groups, such as single mothers.

By putting the planet on the path toward de-carbonization, world leaders can deliver a safer, healthier and more prosperous world that provides millions with decent work opportunities. It is an opportunity that all should seize.

Source: World Economic Forum

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