Report counters claims that cutting emissions is incompatible with growth
Naturally, a major concern that many people feel about decarbonising the energy industry is that it will result in job losses, at a time when global recovery is still faltering.
But new research by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) argues that a commitment of 1.5 per cent of GDP per year to renewable energy would not only be able to maintain economic growth at a healthy rate, it would create more jobs than maintaining the fossil fuel industry.
The 1.5 percent commitment is necessary to meet the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s targets for carbon emissions: a 50 per cent reduction by 2030, and an 80 per cent reduction by 2050.
The report explores the impact of clean energy investment on emerging and current economic powers. It finds that for every $1 million spent, clean energy investments generate, on average, about 37 jobs in Brazil, 10 jobs in Germany, 100 jobs in Indonesia, 70 jobs in South Africa, and 15 jobs in South Korea.
Crucially, the report states that:
“New investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy will generate more jobs for a given amount of spending than maintaining or expanding each country’s existing fossil fuel sectors.”
It finds that in Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa, the net employment gains for clean energy investments will be ‘substantial’; although they are more modest in Germany and South Korea, building a clean energy economy will in all cases be a net positive source of job creation.
Interestingly, the report also raises the issue of gender imbalance. It finds that employment in clean energy areas is currently heavily male dominated in all five countries studied, due to the role played by manufacturing and construction.
It suggests that advancing major clean energy initiatives in these countries, as well as elsewhere, could be a chance to open up job opportunities for women in traditionally male strongholds.
Read the full UNIDO report here.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
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59 Responses to “Clean energy will create more jobs than fossil fuel, says UN report”
gunnerbear
I did read the report – it’s essentially gibberish spouted by those who are either ardent greens or on the public payroll in some form or other. No conflict of interest there then is there? In essence the report says that jobs will be lost in traditional industries but they might, just might be replaced in Green industries. Tell you what….you want to decarbonise the economy…tell the 3,500 people, in say Scunthorpe what is going to replace their jobs and how you are going to replace them when you shut down their steel works…..but of course you can’t……..just as when ever rising energy costs driven by moronic green levies and green regulation shut down a major employer in Northumberland….http://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/nov/16/carbon-laws-blamed-for-loss-of-rio-tinto-jobs ….and how many jobs have the Greens created to replace the ones lost…..slightly less than f**k all. Of course pollution in global terms wasn’t cut – just moved elsewhere but naturally that fact is ignored by green scum who are happy to see UK workers lives ruined so they can feel all warm as they play on their Apple phones and sigh at just how right Chris Martin and Al Gore are even as they fly around the world spouting total s***te.
stevep
It`s a shame no one told Margaret Thatcher. Errr….hold on, Arthur Scargill did.
stevep
Utter Tripe. Blatant Tory troll scribblings of the worst kind.
gunnerbear
Apart from this appeared in the Guardian…… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/25/greenpeace-staff-call-on-top-executive-to-quit-for-commuting-by-plane …..are they all Tory Scribblers. And then of course there’s this…. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/27/monica-crowley-tom-steyer-climate-change-hypocrite/?page=all http://dailycaller.com/2014/04/01/organic-activists-need-gmos-now-more-than-ever/ Are they all Tory scribblers?
gunnerbear
Yup…..the Blue Mob certainly dropped a b****k on that one. Not quite as bad though as Labour smashing the economy and throwing our doors open to the unemployed and unemployable of the world.