Job-rich Green Development

REBUILDING our economies means rethinking about the future. The onR going emergencies like climate change and decelerating progress to achieve the sustainable development goals are accelerating the need to shift towards greener economies.

- Amit Kapoor, Vanshica Kant & Meenakshi Ajith

These economies are climate-resilient, low carbon and socially inclusive. Moving towards a green economy entails smart and coordinated policy response and the G20 can play a key role in supporting this transition.

Employment stands at the intersection of social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It is a launchpad of productive solutions for a greener economy. To be prosperous and inclusive, a green economy must generate decent jobs for all and hence, the focus on green jobs ensures that the linkage between development and equity is strong. In this backdrop, the G20 has been discussing the relevance of just green transitions globally, to create an international enabling environment for all, and green jobs are integral to addressing the "just" aspect of any transition.

The concept of Green jobs gained popularity at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development where countries had to review their development policies in the backdrop of growing environmental challenges. The International Labour Organization, which has been leading Just Transitions programmes defines Green Jobs as work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. These jobs contribute towards reducing consumption of energy and raw materials, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste and pollution and protecting ecosystems. The idea has already gained much attention in the developed world and opportunities have opened, especially in the energy sector. It is estimated that green transitions will create 24 million jobs by 2030, far more than the six million that could be lost.