UN predicts green job boom, but warns developing world could miss out

The shift towards a low carbon economy will create millions of jobs and could help accelerate the development of poorer economies, according to a wide ranging report from the UN.

The study predicts that a raft of new jobs will be created in sectors such as energy supply, transportation, basic industries, agriculture and forestry.

It also estimates that a worldwide transition to energy-efficient buildings would create millions of jobs, as well as "greening" employment for many of the estimated 111 million people already working in the construction sector.

The report cites evidence that the global market for environmental products and services will double from $1,370bn per year at present to $2,740bn by 2020, with millions of employment opportunities expected to be created as a result. In particular, it predicts that escalating commodity prices will lead to a boom in the recycling industry as waste materials see their financial value increase.

However, the study warns that governments, businesses and trade unions will have work closely together and invest heavily in retraining if it is to maximise the benefits that should arise from a low carbon economy.

"Each has a critical role to play, not least in the areas of boosting efficiency in the use of energy and raw materials through better work organisation and of retraining and retooling the global workforce to seize the new opportunities and to master the transition to green production and consumption," the report claims.

It also warns that efforts will need to be undertaken to ensure that developing economies enjoy a share of the benefits that arise from lower carbon business models and are not simply exploited as low cost manufacturing and waste handling locations.

"In some areas, especially in the developing world, new jobs being created in the food, agriculture and recycling sectors as a result of climate change and environment leave much to be desired and can hardly be considered as decent," the report notes, adding that more should be done to create a wider range of green jobs in developing economies.

The report cites a number of beneficial projects as examples of how developing economies can play a role in the transition to a low carbon economy.

For example, one project in Bangladesh, training local youth and women as certified solar technicians and as repair and maintenance specialists, is aiming to create about 100,000 jobs, while in India, an initiative to replace inefficient biomass cooking stoves in nine million households with more advanced ones could create 150,000 jobs.

The report was funded and commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under a joint Green Jobs Initiative with the International Labour Office (ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which together represent millions of workers and employers worldwide.

It was produced by the Worldwatch Institute, with technical assistance from the Cornell University Global Labour Institute.