The fight against climate change will make it possible to create 24 million new jobs worldwide by 2030. And taking into account the mere six million that will be lost in polluting sectors, the balance will be a positive 18 million. This is the finding of a report by the International Labour Organization (Ilo), which has calculated the employment impact of the ecological transition needed to implement the Paris Agreement on climate.

In Europe, a positive balance of 12 million between jobs created and lost

As far back as 2013, the United Nations agency — whose membership includes representatives of governments, businesses and workers from 187 countries — had stressed at the International Labour Conference held in Geneva in July that "the net gain in terms of new jobs between 2010 and 2030 will be between 0.5 and two per cent." Speaking to the French daily Le Monde, Catherine Saget, the lead author of the report published this year, explained that "the aim was not simply to count future green jobs, but to study how all sectors evolve in light of expected changes in the economy."

The report specifies that the balance between jobs created and lost — across the macro-regions of the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe — will amount to three, fourteen and twelve million respectively. In the Middle East and Africa, however, the figures will be negative, at 300,000 and 350,000 (equivalent to 0.48 and 0.04 per cent of total employment in the two regions). This is due above all to the massive presence of structures and companies operating in the fossil fuels and mining sectors.

UN Climate Change @UNFCCC

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A new @ILO report says that actions in line with the objectives of the #ParisAgreement can create 24 million new jobs around the globe by 2030 bit.ly/2Ik0mRa Further proof that a #GreenEconomy can improve livelihoods for this & future generations

♥ 84💬 3 15 mag 2018 · Apri su X →

It will be mainly the industries that exploit fossil fuels that will shed workers

The fact that the transition will, on the whole, be decidedly beneficial for employment is confirmed by the sectoral analysis: out of 163 economic sectors analysed, only fourteen will experience a contraction in employment of more than ten thousand jobs. And only oil extraction and refineries will see their workforce shrink by more than one million. In the energy production sector, by contrast, the loss of 400,000 jobs — predominantly in fossil fuel exploitation — will be more than offset by the creation of 2.5 million new jobs guaranteed by renewables. Fresh impetus will also come from the circular economy, recycling activities, waste sorting, and repair and reuse services. Although considered more difficult to quantify, the growth of organic farming will also secure a significant number of new jobs.

Nevertheless, the Ilo underlines the importance of ensuring satisfactory working conditions for those employed in rapidly expanding sectors. To achieve this, "appropriate policies" on wages, welfare and vocational training must be developed. "Low- and middle-income countries in particular," the report states, "still need to adopt and fund strategies that guarantee a transition towards a sustainable and inclusive economy, both environmentally and socially."