Governments around the world are enacting green recovery and transition programs in collaboration with international agencies. Their coordinated efforts attempt to balance economic growth with environmental preservation, emphasizing that for a sustainable and green future the green transformation is an urgent requirement. The employment component of the green transformation has significant social and economic repercussions. Depending on how prepared countries are for the transition process, skill adaptation and the creation of new job opportunities can provide socioeconomic benefits. “Green jobs” are discussed in the chapter as an important part of the transition strategy to a green economy. The chapter outlines what a “green job” is and is not, presents the connection between employment and skills, and emphasizes the relevance of green jobs in the transition process.
Top1. Introduction
Human populations have been utilizing more natural resources than the earth can renewably produce on a global scale since at least the mid 1970s (McLellan et al., 2014). So called “ecological overshoot” occurs when human demand surpasses the regenerative capacity of a natural ecosystem. The ecological overshoot day for 2023 was set at August 2. The world does not have time to grow up irresponsibly and then clean up after itself. It must develop cleanly.
So, green growth isn’t a challenge for tomorrow. It is an imperative for today. In fact, positive examples from early starters in the environmental transformation, especially in developed countries, demonstrate that a trade-off between growth and environmental agendas is not a must. It is possible for the economies while they are economically growing and the energy consumption has remained more or less constant and CO2 emissions have been reduced. Governments around the world are striving to establish policies to foster a green recovery and a green transition with the help of the institutions such as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank (WB), Development Banks, World Trade Organization (WTO), International Labour Organization (ILO) etc.
There is a wealth of information available on green transition and sustainable development. The common feature of the studies is what they omit that the importance of providing employment to everybody in order to assure improving quality of life as a vital precondition for sustainable development (Mehmet, 1995). This was a statement of 1995. However, it is not possible to say that many things have changed. The job section of this literature is fairly tiny.
ILO’s “Policy Brief on Methodologies for assessing green jobs” starts with this key question “What about jobs?”. The question of whether to prioritize sustainable economic development initiatives, policymakers around the world frequently ponder this essential question. Let's pursue this question in this chapter of the book.
Chasing this question, the chapter discusses green jobs, as an important aspect of the transition mechanism to a green economy. The employment component of the green transformation has both social and economic implications. Depending on how prepared countries are for the transition process, skill adaptation and the creation of new professions can provide socioeconomic benefits.
In recent years, the concept of green jobs has received more attention from policymakers and researchers alike. Green skilled workers are required in the transition to a green economy.
The shock of covid-19 has profoundly impacted various processes in people's lives. Aside from having a significant influence on health, the pandemic process had an economic and social consequence. Employment is one of the most impacted aspects of the economy. The figures clearly demonstrate this. It has unquestionably paved the way for a fundamental revolution. Similarly, it is easy to see how the climate crisis has caused and will continue to cause such fundamental changes. However, because the climate change is not a sudden shock like Covid-19, its consequences are gradual, cumulative, and irreversible. We will be late unless we shape ourselves against this insidious structural change.
This chapter of the book focuses on the employment effect of green transition so the environmental regulation and of innovation. The adaptation of work activities to environmental criteria is so crucial than it seems. Main objectives of the chapter are to define what is and not the “green job”, to explain why this issue is crucial for inclusive and sustainable growth, to present the connection between jobs and skills and importance of them in the transition process.