Green Jobs Boom

A new, landmark study on the impact of an emerging global "green economy" on the world of work says efforts to tackle climate change could result in the creation of millions of new "green jobs" in the coming decades.

The new report entitled Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, says changing patterns of employment and investment resulting from efforts to reduce climate change and its effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies, and could create millions more in both developed and developing countries.

However, the report also finds that the process of climate change, already underway, will continue to have negative effects on workers and their families, especially those whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and tourism. Action to tackle climate change as well as to cope with its effects is therefore urgent and should be designed to generate decent jobs.

Though the report is generally optimistic about the creation of new jobs to address climate change, it also warns that many of these new jobs can be "dirty, dangerous and difficult". Sectors of concern, especially but not exclusively in developing economies, include agriculture and recycling where all too often low pay, insecure employment contracts and exposure to health hazardous materials needs to change fast.

What's more, it says too few green jobs are being created for the most vulnerable: the 1.3 billion working poor (43 per cent of the global workforce) in the world with earnings too low to lift them and their dependants above the poverty threshold of US$2 per person, per day, or for the estimated 500 million youth who will be seeking work over the next 10 years.

Green jobs reduce the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are sustainable. The report focuses on "green jobs" in agriculture, industry, services and administration that contribute to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment. It also calls for measures to ensure that they constitute "decent work" that helps reduce poverty while protecting the environment.

The report says that climate change itself, adaptation to it and efforts to arrest it by reducing emissions have far-reaching implications for economic and social development, for production and consumption patterns and thus for employment, incomes and poverty reduction. These implications harbour both major risks and opportunities for working people in all countries, but particularly for the most vulnerable in the least developed countries and in small island States.

The report calls for "just transitions" for those affected by transformation to a green economy and for those who must also adapt to climate change with access to alternative economic and employment opportunities for enterprises and workers. According to the report, meaningful social dialogue between government, workers and employers will be essential not only to ease tensions and support better informed and more coherent environmental, economic and social policies, but for all social partners to be involved in the development of such policies.

Among other key findings in the report:

• The global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from US$1,370 billion (1.37 trillion) per year at present to US$2,740 billion (2.74 trillion) by 2020, according to a study cited in the report.
  
  
• Half of this market is in energy efficiency and the balance in sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management. In Germany for example, environmental technology is to grow fourfold to 16 per cent of industrial output by 2030, with employment in this sector surpassing that in the country's big machine tool and automotive industries.
  
  
• Sectors that will be particularly important in terms of their environmental, economic and employment impact are energy supply, in particular renewable energy, buildings and construction, transportation,basic industries, agriculture and forestry.
  
  
• Clean technologies are already the third largest sector for venture capital after information and biotechnology in the United States, while green venture capital in China more than doubled to 19 per cent of total investment in recent years.
  
  
• 2.3 million people have in recent years found new jobs in the renewable energy sector alone, and the potential for job growth in the sector is huge. Employment in alternative energies may rise to 2.1 million in wind and 6.3 million in solar power by 2030.
  
  
• Renewable energy generates more jobs than employment in fossil fuels. Projected investments of US$630 billion by 2030 would translate into at least 20 million additional jobs in the renewable energy sector.
  
  
• In agriculture, 12 million could be employed in biomass for energy and related industries. In a country like Venezuela, an ethanol blend of 10 per cent in fuels might provide one million jobs in the sugar cane sector by 2012.
  
  
• A worldwide transition to energy-efficient buildings would create millions of jobs, as well as "greening" existing employment for many of the estimated 111 million people already working in the construction sector.
  
  
• Investments in improved energy efficiency in buildings could generate an additional 2-3.5 million green jobs in Europe and the United States alone, with the potential much higher in developing countries.
  
  
• Recycling and waste management employs an estimated 10 million in China and 500,000 in Brazil today. This sector is expected to grow rapidly in many countries in the face of escalating commodity prices.

The report provides examples of massive green jobs creation, throughout the world, such as: 600,000 people in China who are already employed in solar thermal making and installing products such as solar water heaters; in Nigeria, a bio fuels industry based on cassava and sugar cane crops might sustain an industry employing 200,000 people; India could generate 900,000 jobs by 2025 in biomass gasification of which 300,000 would be in the manufacturing of stoves and 600,000 in areas such as processing into briquettes and pellets and the fuel supply chain; and in South Africa, 25,000 previously unemployed people are now employed in conservation as part of the 'Working for Water' initiative.

"A sustainable economy can no longer externalize environmental and social costs. The price society pays for the consequences of pollution or ill health for example, must be reflected in the prices paid in the marketplace. Green jobs therefore need to be decent work"
Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World

The report recommends a number of pathways to a more sustainable future directing investment to low-cost measures that should be taken immediately including: assessing the potential for green jobs and monitoring progress to provide a framework for policy and investment; addressing the current skills bottleneck by meeting skill requirements because available technology and resources for investments can only be deployed effectively with qualified entrepreneurs and skilled workers; and ensuring individual enterprises' and economic sectors' contribution to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases with labour-management initiatives to green workplaces.



The report finds that green markets have thrived and transformation has advanced most where there has been strong and consistent political support at the highest level, including targets, penalties and incentives such as feed-in laws and efficiency standards for buildings and appliances as well as proactive research and development.

The report says that delivery of a deep and decisive new climate agreement when countries meet for the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009 will be vital for accelerating green job growth.

The report was funded and commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under a joint Green Jobs Initiative with the International Labour Office (ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which together represent millions of workers and employers worldwide. It was produced by the Worldwatch Institute, with technical assistance from the Cornell University Global Labour Institute.


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Bulb Ban = Bulb Hoarders

It may seem irrational to us all that in times when energy costs are going up, some individuals would be wanting to keep their incandescents, but in the run up to the voluntary January 2009 bulb ban (which will see 150W and 100W bulbs removed from all major retailers with all incandescents removed by 2011).

There are good reasons why a ban on incandescents are a good thing, both environmentally and politically. Lighting accounts for anywhere from 8 - 19% of our total energy use, and it is expected that the ban will reduce our energy consumption annually by 5.5%, or 9200GWh, in the process reducing CO2 emissions by 5m tonnes, the equivalent of the expected CO2 saving of the Severn barrage. This also begs the question, why build a £10 billion super structure when in reality all you have to do is ban a bulb, costing a few million pounds, with the same positive outcome. Obviously the barrage can still come along later to reduce emissions even further, provide clean energy and help the government meet renewable energy targets.

Reducing the amount of electricity used in real terms through measures like this also reduce the demand on energy, and the materials used to provide that energy, which also reduces the end cost to the consumer across all major fuel sources. By reducing the total energy used nationwide, you also have a higher output in percentage terms from your renewable energy sources, without having to install further capacity.

But why did the government choose not to go for an all out ban, like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US. This would have made it illegal to obtain the bulbs even from specialist retailers, however how could this be punished under law, it may make an interesting court case followed by the media, and the crime, threatening national energy security .. maybe. But by default with so many countries implementing a ban, manufactures stop production, importation of bulbs in quantity from Asia regions grind to a halt, introducing new smaller supply changes, thus increasing the cost of bulbs, it is likely however to increase the price of the standard bulb dramatically. Already both the 150W and 100W bulbs are a hard to find item at your local supermarket as supplies dry up.

Hence why some people have turned to stockpiling incandescent bulbs, concerns seem to be more aesthetic than safety-conscious.

"It's a bad idea. They're not only bad for the climate but mean a bigger electricity bill. Incandescent light bulbs were invented in the 1880s and use 80% more electricity than energy saving ones. The time has come to move into the 21st Century."
Ben Stewart, Greenpeace

On 16 & 17 April 2008, the Energy Saving Trust carried out a lightbulb ‘Pepsi’ challenge at Bluewater Shopping Centre to see if the public could tell the difference between traditional and Energy Saving Recommended lightbulbs.

For the experiment two identical booths were specially built each with a lounge – one lit with a traditional light bulb and one lit with an energy saving one.



Members of the public were then asked to enter each of the booths for ten seconds and say whether they could tell which one contained the energy saving lightbulb, and which one they preferred.

Out of 761 shoppers, 53 per cent either got it wrong or could not spot the difference, despite 70 per cent of shoppers being confident that they would be able to spot the energy efficient lightbulb before they did the test. The shoppers were not told whether they had guessed right, but 64 per cent of people claimed to prefer the light produced by the energy efficient light bulb.

"I think the results are extremely encouraging and go to show just how much the quality of light from energy efficient lightbulbs has improved since they were first introduced. Not only that, but there are now a far wider range of energy efficient bulbs available, including dimmers. The days of bulky, ugly looking energy efficient bulbs, which gave poor light quality are long gone. Clearly, the public have had their own ‘lightbulb’ moment too, with sales of energy efficient lightbulbs jumping from 10 million in 2006 to 21 million in 2007."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

Maybe the solution is bulb amnesties in the streets of Britain where you can get rid of your old 100W bulbs in exchange for a free energy saving bulb, that way the county would be rid of those high wattage bulbs, from of course the people willing to give them up.


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New Energy Efficient Ad On TV Now

Ad Courtesy Of Act On CO2

A £6m TV ad campaign encouraging householders to make steps to make their homes more energy efficient was launched on Wednesday.

Following a rise in the number of people calling energy efficiency advice lines, the adverts, directed by This is England director Shane Meadows, are to air from tonight.

"Apart from the fact that I really liked this campaign because it's funny and well written, I was also interested in making some films that might make a difference to the way people behave. If these films can make a few more people aware of the problem and actually do something, then it's got to be a worthwhile project."
Shane Meadows

The advert shot by Meadows show a father trying to get his family to cut their energy consumption, reducing their gas and electricity bills and reducing their carbon emissions.

ACT ON CO2 advice line from the Energy Saving Trust has reported that the amount of calls it has received has quadrupled since the government announced a £910 million package to help householders become more efficient.

Taking steps such as ensuring all sockets are tuned off, installing insulation and using energy saving appliances are among the recommendations the advice line ACT ON CO2 has been handing out.

"I am encouraged that following last week's announcement, people are looking to take action to cut their fuel bills and save energy at the same time. We now need to build on that enthusiasm."
Hillary Benn, Environment Secretary

The government package aims to make sure all homes have proper insulation by 2020.

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Brown to Announce Energy Efficiency Package Today

Today will see the announcement from the government on how they intend to alleviate households from the dramatic increases over the past 12 months. After they ruled out a windfall for seven million families last week, in favour of energy efficient measures, the government will try to ensure that those that are worst off benefit from these measures, which in some cases could see them receiving more in savings than just the £150 handout they would have received otherwise.

We will post the latest developments from the announcement as it happens later today.


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Give Me an "F" For Failing Government Department

If you are the government department tasked with reducing public buildings' carbon emissions, you would want to make sure when you implemented Display Energy Certificates for all government buildings, that your building was, well efficient.

However, Eland House, the headquarters of the Communities and Local Government, who is tasked to do just that has been handed a quite poor 'F' rating, which was only the second worst rating it could have received.

Eland House was designed by EPR Architects and built by Mowlem for Land Securities, and completed in 1998. The steel and glass structure in London is 59 m (152 ft) high, with 11 floors providing 35,000 m² (376,250 sq ft) of office space housing 2,500 staff. It incorporates a number of environmental features including a cogeneration plant and active solar panels.

Energy assessors visited the building ahead of the October introduction of regulations requiring public buildings to display evidence of their energy performance. Buildings which are frequently visited by the public, whether wholly or only partly publicly owned, and are larger than 1,000 metres squared, must prominently display their energy rating.

"Our rating for Eland House tells us we must clearly do better to make a difference to our energy performance. We are now acting on recommendation from our advisory report to help us improve future ratings."
Communities and Local Government

Officials from the departments excuse was poor heating and ventilation and heating systems, as well as higher occupancy than expected affected the building's energy performance. It's a shame when an organisation that should be taking a lead in reducing its own carbon emissions, doesn't practice what they preach, certainly this will leave some senior civil servants red faced. Lets hope that their next rating will show considerable improvement.

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What Does a Display Energy Certificate Look Like?

Click on images for a more detailed view.



A This provides information about the building that the DEC applies to.

B Every DEC has a unique number. This number can be used to locate and get a copy of the certificate from the national register and to verify the validity of a DEC.

C The energy used by the building is converted into an amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). Different types of fuel emit different amounts of CO2. This shows how the energy use has changed over the last three years. The smaller the bar, the better the performance. This building has improved its performance over the last three years. Below the zero line show CO2 savings from Low and Zero Carbon energy sources. The benchmark is the average energy performance for a building of this type. A number below the line indicates the building is below average energy performance. A number above the line indicates the building is above average performance.

D This section of the DEC shows Operational Ratings from previous years. This building has improved its Operational Rating i.e. is using less energy and emitting less CO2 than in previous reports.

E This shows key information about how the certificate was prepared.

• Assessment software
  This shows which energy assessment method was used to produce the certificate.
• Property reference
  This is a unique reference number which identifies the building.
• Assessor Name and Number Accreditation scheme
  This identifies the assessor who produced the certificate with details of their accreditation scheme and their membership number.
• Issue and nominated date
  This shows the date of issues of the certificate and the date from which the DEC is valid (i.e. the nominated date).

F This provides technical information about energy use. Further details are available in a full technical table.

G This shows the relevant elements of technical information used to produce the certificate.

• Main Heating Fuel
  This indicates the main type of fuel used to heat the building.
• Building Environment
  This indicates how the internal environment of the building is conditioned.
• Total useful floor area
  This is the total area of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls (in accordance with the definition in the Building Regulations).
• Asset Rating: The asset rating of a building reflects the energy performance of that building in terms of the way it is built rather than the way it is used (standard use is assumed). It will appear here if the building has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Asset ratings are on a scale of 0-150, where 0 is the most energy efficient building and 150 is the least energy efficient building.

H This is the Operational Rating for this building. The rating shows the energy performance of the building as it is being used by the occupants. A building with performance equal to one typical of its type would therefore have an Operational Rating of 100. A building that resulted in zero CO2 emissions would have an OR of zero, and a building that resulted in twice the typical CO2 emissions would have an OR of 200. This rating indicates the building is being operated below average performance for a building of this type.



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