The idea of 'Green Jobs' emerges through the conception of 'Go Green' at this pressing time of environment-induced challenges, like, aridity, global warming, flooding, and so forth. The northern and western African regions have been experiencing 'extreme aridity' resulting in the unavailability of food. Consequently, war among clans, displaced people to European countries and caused marine deaths while crossing the Mediterranean. This turns out to be every day's headlines of international news.
Brazil, Australia, and Canada are frequently engulfed with wildfire, and bush fire, which keep on for weeks. All those take place due to the rise of temperature levels in the atmosphere, and unplanned urbanization, belching out of CO2, and CFCs being, altogether, the influencing causes, which ultimately lead to environmental catastrophe. Viewing these threatening situations, in which human beings are likely to bear the consequences, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has come forward with the defining conception of 'Green Jobs', which tends to foster ideas of creating and inspiring jobs, which will protect and lead to restoring the environment.
The 'Green Jobs' tends to cover renewable energy jobs, sustainable agriculture jobs, environmental education and advocacy jobs, green transportation jobs, and, last but not least, energy efficiency jobs. The mission and vision of these types of jobs are to create job opportunities.
However, it is not redundant to ask for clarification why and how these types of jobs tend to be 'Green jobs' with the justification of conserving our mother environment. Now, renewable energy takes in solar panel establishment, wind mill installations by the side of seas, or in windy regions, hydroelectricity generation, biomass, and geothermal system, which lead to energy production without producing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Sustainable agriculture job believes in 'minimizing environmental impacts; maximizing social benefits'. We have lots of examples before us of what extent agriculture relates to minimizing environmental impacts.
Organic farming, fishing, beekeeping, agroforestry, and gardening have zero environmental impacts. On the other hand, these expedite the possibility of social inclusion, as more than a person is necessarily to involve with these activities. Thus, social commitment is garnered to protect the environment impliedly. Again, the invention of lithium-ion batteries has revolutionized transportation systems. Now, petrol, octane, and diesel engines have been replaced with lithium-ion batteries in many of the small to medium size transports, which emit zero carbons in the environment. The patronization of these industries lines up patronization of the environment. Environment advocacy is, nonetheless, one of the main-stream activities, and many have embraced this as a profession globally. Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN), Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS), and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) are a few of them, which team up with environment education and advocacy jobs.
Moreover, the world needs to take its seat under the umbrella term, 'Go Green', to keep their existence in the world. It is estimated that our population reach 9.8 billion by 2050, which surely will possess a burden on the earth to feed all the mouths. And, many of scientists speculate that we need two worlds to feed this 9.8 billion, if the population boom takes place. Here, time has emerged to speculate on how this term will work. It explicitly links our behavior to environmentally friendly products and services.
A report reveals that Nestle, a global brand, claims that their cocoa beans are sourced following environmental compliances, though it had to recruit 10 million children as laborers in Ghana. And, the consequential report is that this company is responsible for the deforestation in the West African region. Here, the product may be organic in nature. But, the ultimate result of the activities by the company is the reverse to a sustainable environment as well as a social benefit. Hence, agricultural production does not always ensure the aesthetics of 'Go Green'. Human activities must ensure wilderness, afforestation, and a secure natural-calamity-free world. And this will possible take place through green jobs. Which will ultimately lead the world to 'Go Green'.
The ILO, in its recent report, states that the job market is expanding rapidly with green jobs for the last five years experiencing 8 percent per yearly increasing trends. This labor organization expects that 24 million new employment opportunities will be set to create by 2030. The May 2023 report by the World Economic Forum on 'Futures of Job Reports- 2023' releases that green jobs requirement has increased to 40% since 2015, as the world is agreed on the accord to reach targets of net zero by 2050. But, only 13% out of the total skilled professionals fill up the criteria of green job holders. Again, green skills tend to be the top-most priority, in recent days, in the LinkedIn job search, the report says. It also states that 1 out of 4 Europeans thinks that the world must ensure a sustainable environment to reach ambitious net zero carbon emission by 2050. Henceforth, green skills are intertwined with reclaiming the environment to its balancing state.
However, a 'Green job' may create multifaceted privileges in a society like ours. It tends to bring on economic, social, and above all, environmental privileges to society. The accessories required for renewable energy production and installation, green transportation systems, and energy efficiency tasks are sure to create new production factories, and industries, and establish a market to sell those products. Thus, millions of people across the globe will get jobs in these sectors. These green industries will lead to enhance community elasticity and resilience. Rural and ultra-poor will have an equal share in the race of community resilience, as 'Go Green' does never seclude a single portion of the community. The ultimate target of this green job is limiting carbon dioxide gas and greenhouse gas emission, which are the prime culprits of global warming.
Moreover, the catastrophic change in the environmental cycle leads to dangerous impacts across the globe, and Bangladesh is no fewer sufferers of this mishap. Floods, water surges, intrusion of salinity into the land areas, record-breaking heat, unexpected diseases, and so forth, are clogging our daily lives. The underlying cause of these effects is the imbalance of the environment. Hence, 'Go Green' is an urgent requirement, that we need to embrace. Creating a 'Green Job' will lead to the target of net-zero emissions by 2050 through the movement of 'Go Green'.
The writer is a Researcher & Freelancer, BCS Cadre (General Education)
