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Shifting to a greener economy could generate up to 60 million additional jobs over the next twodecades and lift millions of people out of poverty, UN agencies andtrade unions said yesterday, urging governments to use the Rio+20summit to turn this potential into reality. A new report finds the transformation of key sectors such asagriculture, energy, construction and transport has already createdtens of millions of jobs and will eventually affect at least halfof the global workforce, equivalent to around 1.5 billion people. It says the renewable energy sector now employs close to fivemillion workers, more than doubling the number of jobs from 2006 to2010, while energy efficiency is an important source of green jobsin the construction industry, which is among the hardest hit by theeconomic crisis. Three million people are employed in the US environmental goods andservices sector, while government figures show the equivalentfigure in the UK is just under one million. In the EU alone, 14.6 million direct and indirect jobs exist in theprotection of biodiversity and rehabilitation of natural resourcesand forests, says the paper, published by the International LabourOrganisation (ILO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) andthe International Trade Union Congress (ITUC). Net gains of 0.5 to two per cent of total employment are possiblein developed countries with a shift to low carbon technologies andpractices, but these are dwarfed by the potential in emergingeconomies and developing countries, which can leapfrog to greentechnology rather than replace obsolete resource-intensiveinfrastructure. Brazil has already created just under three millionjobs, accounting for some seven per cent of all formal employment. The shift is also likely to benefit women as well as the poorestand most marginalised people, the report says, adding employmentgains will more than offset job losses in carbon-intenseindustries. It notes only around eight per cent of the workforce inindustrialised countries is employed in the 10 to 15 industriesthat generate between 70 and 80 per cent of CO2 emissions, so onlya fraction are likely to lose their jobs if policies are adopted togreen existing enterprises and to promote employment. "Environmental sustainability is not a job killer, as it issometimes claimed," said Juan Somavia, ILO director-general."On the contrary, if properly managed, it can lead to moreand better jobs, poverty reduction and social inclusion." However, the report stresses getting the right mix of policies iscrucial. It recommends governments promote and implementsustainable production processes, particularly amongsmall-and-medium-sized enterprises, as well as expanding skillstraining and facilitating effective social dialogue betweenemployers and trade unions. The forthcoming Rio+20 summit will see countries gather to discusshow best to incorporate sustainable development into growth plans,and Somavia urged nations to seize this "crucialmoment" for progress. "The current development model has proven to be inefficientand unsustainable, not only for the environment, but for economiesand societies as well," he said. "We urgently need to move to a sustainable development pathwith a coherent set of policies with people and the planet at thecentre.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Car Seat Rotating , China Seat Slide for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Manual Recliner.
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