Status: 08.11.2022 10:30 a.m
Around a quarter of global jobs are affected by climate change and the energy transition, according to management consultancy Deloitte. This makes it all the more important to actively shape the transformation.
Climate change and the energy transition directly affect more than 800 million jobs worldwide. The management consultancy Deloitte warns of this. That’s a quarter of today’s workforce. Jobs in agriculture, energy, mining, industry, transport and construction are particularly affected, according to the study, which the management consultancy plans to present today at the UN climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Some of these sectors are facing upheaval due to high CO2 emissions, said Deloitte climate expert Bernhard Lorentz. Other areas such as agriculture would be threatened by floods, heat or storms. “Job risk is highest in Asia-Pacific and Africa,” the study authors said. In these regions, more than 40 percent of the workforce is employed in vulnerable sectors.
Active design could create millions of jobs
However, there is also the greatest potential for additional jobs there, according to Lorentz. “By actively shaping the transformation, decarbonization could create more than 300 million additional jobs by 2050, including 21 million in Europe, 180 million in Asia Pacific, 75 million in Africa and 26 million in the Americas.”
The vulnerable regions would have to invest in the development of a “green workforce”. A faster transition to a net-zero economy could ensure fairer wages and better working conditions worldwide. “The key is investment in the promotion of skills – from school and university education to company training and further education,” said Deloitte partner Maren Hauptmann. This must be one of the top priorities for politicians and companies.