With a growing number of green – friendly projects in identified sectors, we need to be seeing an evolution in the number of jobs created.
Critical sectors identified for mitigating climate change in South Africa are energy, waste, industrial processes and product use, agriculture, forestry, and other land use.
South Africa refined its mitigation targets for 2025 and 2030.
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, titled “Creating local green jobs: the United States, Italy and South Africa” indicates areas of opportunities to maximize job creation.
The most job opportunities according to the report, are expected to come from upgrading homes, schools and workplaces to make them more energy efficient, and to build efficient new buildings. This is expected to yield13 million decent jobs in the United States, over 850,000 jobs in Italy, and over 900,000 jobs in South Africa.
Some 20 million sustainable jobs could be created in the United States in the buildings, transport and energy sectors, of which almost 15.5 million could be created and supported locally within cities. Another 1 million sustainable jobs in Italy, with almost 680,000 of these jobs happening locally within cities. Over 1.1 million sustainable jobs in South Africa from mitigation interventions, with around 670,000 of these jobs happening locally within urban centres.
According to the report, the biggest job opportunity in the three countries analysed, is upgrading homes, schools and workplaces to make them more energy efficient, and to build efficient new buildings. This has the potential to create 13 million decent jobs in the United States, over 850,000 jobs in Italy, and over 900,000 jobs in South Africa.
Ambitious city climate action taken by 2030 could create and support nearly 20 million sustainable jobs in the United States in the buildings, transport and energy sectors. Anothern 18 million sustainable jobs could be created and supported by investing in adaptation and nature-based solutions such as parks and flood barriers.
Similarly another 1 million jobs could be created in Italy, and over 1.1 million sustainable jobs in South Africa.
Investing in adaptation and nature-based solutions here at home, could create and support an additional 700,000 jobs.