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Greener economy to create 24 million jobs in 2030, says ILO

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja 
22 May 2018   |   1:29 am
According to the flagship report of the global labour watch body, tagged ‘World employment and social outlook 2018: Greening with jobs’, action to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius will result in sufficient job creation to more than offset job losses of six million elsewhere.

International Labour Organisation

24 million new jobs would be created worldwide by 2030 if the right policies to promote a greener economy were put in place, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said. 
 
According to the flagship report of the global labour watch body, tagged ‘World employment and social outlook 2018: Greening with jobs’, action to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius will result in sufficient job creation to more than offset job losses of six million elsewhere.

The report noted that new jobs would be created by adopting sustainable practices in the energy sector, including changes in the energy mix, promoting the use of electric vehicles and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

Ecosystem services – including air and water purification soil renewal and fertilization, pest control, pollination and protection against extreme weather conditions – sustain, among others, farming, fishing, forestry and tourism activities, which employ 1.2 billion workers.But projected temperature increases will make heat stress, particularly in agriculture, more common. It can lead to several medical conditions, including exhaustion and stroke. 
 
The report calculates that heat stress will cause a two percent global loss in hours worked by 2030 due to sickness. Commenting on the report, the ILO Deputy Director-General, Deborah Greenfield said: “The findings of our report underline that jobs rely heavily on a healthy environment and the services that it provides. The green economy can enable millions more people to overcome poverty, and deliver improved livelihoods for this and future generations. This is a very positive message of opportunity in a world of complex choices.”

At the regional level, there will be net job creation in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific and Europe, representing some three million, 14 million and two million jobs respectively, resulting from measures taken in the production and use of energy.In contrast, there could be net job losses in the Middle East (-0.48 per cent) and Africa (-0.04 per cent) if current trends continue, due to the dependence of these regions on fossil fuel and mining, respectively.  

The report urged countries to take urgent action to train workers in the skills needed for the transition to a greener economy, and provide them with social protection that facilitates the transition to new jobs, contributes to preventing poverty and reduces the vulnerability of households and communities. 

The lead author of the report, Catherine Saget stated: “Policy changes in these regions could offset the anticipated job losses or their negative impact. Low- and some middle- income countries still need support to develop data collection, and adopt and finance strategies towards a just transition to an environmentally sustainable economy and society that includes everyone from all groups of society.”

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