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Latin America and the Caribbean could generate at least one million new jobs by 2030 if the green economy keeps advancing, the International Labor Organization says in a new report.
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According to the study released on Monday by the ILO's Lima office, at least one million jobs could be created in the global pursuit to reduce climate change by ramping up the green economy – the financial sector interested in reducing negative environmental effects.
Another four million jobs may be produced in the region in the circular economy – the reuse, repair and recycling of goods, rather than the linear economy that extracts, manufactures, uses and then disposes of products, which is fast exhausting non-renewable resources.
"There is no doubt that the world of work is intrinsically related to the environment," says Latin American ILO Director Jose Manuel Salazar, noting the region's megadiverse ecosystems, natural resources, and Indigenous ethos that prioritizes human connections to nature.
Because of this, "green jobs are catalysts for the transition towards environmental sustainability," says Salazar.
At least 75 million people in the Americas currently work in sectors dependent on ecosystems such as agriculture, tourism and fishing, which are being affected by changes in climate, pollution and overexploitation, Salazar continued.
"The main challenge is to make the transition a just transition for all. While there will be a creation of jobs, there are workers and communities that will lose," he said.
In the ILO's global report, the UN organization considers that jobs combating climate could climb to 18 million around the world by 2030, but projecture will require political will to transform the energy, agriculture, transport, construction, mining and fishing sectors.
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