As the deadline for an international climate treaty in Copenhagen draws closer, Greenpeace International and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) have published their Working for the Climate: Renewable Energy & the Green Job [R]evolution” report showing that the world stands to gain up to eight million jobs by 2030 in the clean energy sector if a strong deal is reached in December.
"Now is the time to put in place a ‘just transition’ to sustainably transform the jobs of today and develop the decent and green jobs of tomorrow," said Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). "The union movement, as well as the authors of this report, believe ambitious climate action by world leaders can and must be a driver for sustainable economic growth and social progress."
Working for the Climate is a study to determine the potential for 'green jobs' in the energy sector, and how this potential compares to a business-as-usual approach, with little or no action being taken to avert climate change. Greenpeace found that, under its green energy scenario – the Energy [R]evolution – there would be an overall increase of around two million power sector jobs over the next 20 years; and with an Energy [R]evolution in place, there would be more than eight million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency - three times the amount of jobs under the business-as-usual approach. The jobs analysis for Working for the Climate was conducted by the Institute of Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney.
"There are already 450,000 people working in the renewable energy industry in Europe, representing a turnover of more than € 40 billion. This research proves that renewable energy is key to tackling both the climate and economic crises," said Christine Lins, Secretary General of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).
Moving away from coal creates more jobs
A switch from coal to renewable electricity generation will not just avoid 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, but will create 2.7 million more jobs by 2030 than if we continue business as usual. Conversely, the global coal industry - which currently supports about 4.7 million employees worldwide - is likely to contract by more than 1.4 million jobs by 2030, due to rationalisation measures in existing coal mines.
"Global leaders can tackle the twin crises of global economic recession and climate change head on by investing in renewable energy," said Damon Moglen, Greenpeace USA global arming campaign director. "For each job lost in the coal industry our green energy scenario, known as the Energy [R]evolution, creates three new jobs in the renewable power industry. We can choose green jobs and growth or unemployment, ecological and social collapse."
The report was developed in conjunction with specialists from the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Dutch Institute Ecofys and more than 40 scientists and engineers from universities, institutes and the renewable energy industry around the world.
Greenpeace undertook this new study to determine whether there would be jobs created by the nine-fold increase in renewable energy, and massive global energy efficiency measures required for the Energy [R]evolution by researching jobs in power generation and electrical efficiency (excluding heating, cooling and transport). Efficiency to improve building insulation is not included in this number and would be additional.
For additional information:
