JUST TRANSITION OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
In the transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies, the world of work can benefit from some major opportunities, for example:
net gains in total employment from realizing the potential to create significant numbers of additional decent jobs through investments into environmentally sustainable production and consumption and management of natural resources;
improvements in job quality and incomes on a large scale from more productive processes, as well as greener products and services in sectors like agriculture, construction, recycling and tourism;
social inclusion through improved access to affordable, environmentally sustainable energy and payments for environmental services, for instance, which are of particular relevance to women and residents in rural areas
and faces some major challenges, for example:
economic restructuring, resulting in the displacement of workers and possible job losses and job creation attributable to the greening of enterprises and workplaces;
the need for enterprises, workplaces and communities to adapt to climate change to avoid loss of assets and livelihoods and involuntary migration;
adverse effects on the incomes of poor households from higher energy and commodity prices.
Given the scale and urgency of these environmental and employment challenges, it is clear that the world will have neither the resources nor the time to tackle them separately or consecutively. Tackling them jointly is not an option, but a necessity.
Reference: Taking steps towards a just transition at company/sectoral level through social dialogue. toolkit. november 2022, pp7-11.
Find the complete toolkit here.
