Greenskills, Greenjobs, Job Transformation

Why are Green Skills and Green Jobs a vital factor for a renewable future?

As the world seeks solutions to climate change, it looks increasingly towards renewable energes. On the one side, it is important to identify and to eliminate the economic, regulatory and institutional barriers to renewable energies in order to create green jobs and at the same time eliminiate coal, gas and oil as soon as possible. On the other side, and this is not appearing on the radar of most climate protectors, solve the "skills challenge": Because not well installed and therefore not properly working solar installations are a boomerang and counter-productive for solar promotion (for more, see below "GreenSkills for the Energiewende").  

In regard to green and decent jobs, the UN international labor organization, ILO states: "If properly managed, climate change action can lead to more and better jobs, poverty reduction and social inclusion in the quest for a sustainable and low- carbon economy. The ILO reports that the transition to a greener and low-carbon economy could generate up to 60 million additional jobs worldwide over the next two decades compared to a ‘business-as-usual’ development path." Quote of the briefing "Decent Jobs in a Safe Climate" (June 2015) - see as PDF below or on ILO "Green Jobs Publications" page.

For the young people, the future decsion makers, it gives hope to know that there is a solution to combine education, jobs and renewable energy: the future is green. Green skills and job transformation are concepts, which are (slowly) implemented. For more see the "Green Jobs" section of the ILO with country studies (skill assessments) or e.g. the report about  (published Aug, 2018) as well as the factsheet) and they offer a solution to youth unemployment and more jobs in the green sector.

To develop practices of job transitions from dirty to clean and decent jobs is urgently needed - there are examples (see below), but not yet enough. 
But still there are. One especially worth to mention is the Solar revolution in rural Bangladesh where in the last decade 4 million solar home systems has been installed and 25'000 green (solar) jobs created:  A hope for the Global South. The story about these "Marketmakers" is told by Nancy Wimmer in her recent book (Jan, 2019) - see review below