Uh-huh… How many real jobs will it destroy?
Despite the continuing economic difficulties faced around the world, and the subsequent falling levels of investment as governments try to reduce their budgets, the UN is still pushing to create green jobs as part of a move towards a green economy.
The UN is of a mind that green policies put in place to help the switch from the current high-carbon economy to a low-carbon economy will create tens of millions of jobs around the world over the next two decades. In fact a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) predicted that up to 60 million jobs could result from the switch.
“The shift to a greener economy is creating employment across a range of sectors. In fact, an increasing number of assessments are showing that net gains are possible.”
Green energy technologies and the switch to a green economy have already created millions of jobs in countries around the world. In the US the green energy sector employs three million people in areas such as wind, solar, and energy efficiency. In the UK it has been one of the few sectors to actually grow, and create jobs, currently providing a million people with employment. Brazil’s rapidly growing economy relies a lot on renewable energy, and three million people, about 7% of employed people in the country, now work in the green energy sector.
UNEP also believes that the switch to a green economy could help permanently lift millions of people out of poverty, and provide basic benefits such as electricity and clean water to many parts of the world.
OilPrice
About the only jobs it will create will be riding bicycles with little generators attached to them.
stoop labor picking jatropha berries for jet fuel.
“In fact, an increasing number of assessments are showing that net gains are possible.”
Who can argue with “an increasing number of assessments?”
I wonder if they would pay me a million dollars to do another assessment? If they keep paying for assessments, the number will increase.
It’s easy to create Green Jobs – Just ask the Obama Administration!!!
I believe the UN is correct in their assumption.
60 million jobs does seem a reasonable number to deal of extra people needed to deal with the decreased efficiency associated with current line renewables.
What the UN fails to realize is that creating more jobs to do the same work is called “inefficiency” or better yet, when done unnecessarily, “waste”. They are dressing up a failing as a feature.
A “green economy” means we will only be able to produce enough food for 1 billion people – as in the year 1800. Six billion would have to starve.
I believe that if we were able to cultivate every available square inch of arable land in the world, using organic green methods, we could actually feed up to 4 billion people. So, optimistically, we only have to kill off about three billion. So we could tout that as a success, right?
The shift to a greener economy is creating employment across a range of sectors. In fact, an increasing number of assessments are showing that net gains are possible.”
Spain is a shining example of how “green” can wreck a country but everyone thinks they can make it work and the Spanish are idiots.
Amen. A century of failure hasn’t cured the belief in communism. Latter day communists cling to the belief that the only problem with communism is that the right people haven’t implemented it.
Enter: The One.
One must wonder if a “green economy” creates so many jobs, why aren’t the poor mentioned in the report already fully employed and loving life. The poorest people have no carbon footprint from evil oil, they don’t have motorized vehicles, they don’t have vaccines, they don’t have homes with energy waste (of course, technically, if you don’t have energy, you can’t waste it)–they should be the richest, happiest people on earth. The poor people are we fools with cars, A/C, etc. It would appear the that poor referred to herein are the people with homes and cars and we can look forward to losing all these evil distractions and being subsistence laborers. With variable energy from solar and wind, there will be no TV, iPhones, etc. No modern world disturbances. Sounds like a true paradise, don’t you think?
My favourite green job would be airline pilot.
You may ask how that could be a green job.
Well, if you’re flying delegates to Rio+20, being an airline pilot is a green job.
More suggestions for *reframing* green jobs:
http://contrary2belief.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/green-jobs-for-um-everybody/
On second thoughts; being a rocket scientist is an even better green job.