Green Jobs
The choice between protecting jobs or the environment is a false one. Green jobs allow us to do both.
A green job (sometimes also called a clean energy job or climate safe) is a job that helps us address the environmental challenges we face. As we make the shift to low carbon economies, green jobs are expected to boom. For instance, the CSIRO predicts that 2.7 million new jobs will be created in Australia by 2025 if we aim to become carbon neutral by 2050. Many will be green jobs.
Globally, governments are realising that green stimulus packages can help us avoid job losses from recession and address major environmental problems at the same time. The US has set a target to create 5 million new green jobs, while the UK is aiming to create 1 million new green jobs.
We already have lots of green jobs in Victoria. For example, 700 people are employed in the solar water heating industry. Around 6000 people are employed in rail manufacturing. And 6500 people are employed in recycling in Victoria.
Recently, we held a jobs summit with our friends from the Brotherhood of St Laurence to explore the opportunities for Victoria to lead the way in green jobs.
Read more about it
Watch key speakers talk about the exciting possibilities
One million green jobs are out there
Download some of the presentation papers below
Mark Wakeham, Campaigns Director, Environment Victoria
Erwin Jackson, Director, Policy and Research, the Climate Institute
Julius Roe, National President, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
Michael Horn, Senior Manager, Research & Policy, Brotherhood of St Laurence
Paul Murfitt, Moreland Energy Foundation
Professor William Mitchell, Director, Centre of Full Employment and Equity, University of Newcastle
Sally Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer, National Employment Services Association
Tim Piper, Director-Victoria, Australian Industry Group
We released a major report - Victoria: The Green Jobs State - that showed that we can create 26,000 new jobs for Victorians in just five years across just five industries. It's totally true
It's just good business
Globally, our economies are in the doldrums. Stories of recession, jobs losses and failed businesses have been told all too frequently. And Australia's economy hasn't been immune.
Meanwhile, the world's scientists are growing more and more alarmed at the extent of the climate crisis. They're calling for urgent and wide-spread action to reduce our emissions.
Sounds like a double whammy of bad news, doesn't it?
Amidst all this doom and gloom, however, a new global understanding is emerging - we can renew our economies and address the environmental challenges we face. And we can do it at the same time.
It's now clear that the choice between protecting jobs and protecting the environment is a false one. Green jobs - that help our environment - can do both.
more resources
Green Gold Rush: How Ambitious Environmental Policy Can Make Australia a Leader in the Global Race for Green Jobs, ACF and ACTU study. Check it out
2009 Statement of Government Intentions, Victorian Government. Read it
Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, United Nations Environment Program. Download it
Growing the Green Collar Economy: Skills and Labour Challenges in Reducing Our Greenhouse Emissions and National Environmental Footprint. CSIRO. Get into it
Victoria's Greenhouse Opportunity Set: New Growth Prospects in a Carbon Constrained World, Allen Consulting Group. Open it up
Green Jobs and Green Skills, Sharan Burrow Speech, 4 March 2009. Listen to it
Grab the latest buzz on green jobs below.
State fudges carbon figures
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Adam Morton, The Age
The Baillieu government's credibility on climate change has been undermined after economic modelling that it commissioned contradicted its own claims that Victoria would be...
moreGreen Jobs plan a welcome investment for our future
Friday, 30 April 2010
Environment Victoria welcomed the state government’s Green Jobs Action Plan released by Premier Brumby today.
The Plan, in development for the past year, will create new green jobs...
moreGreen group says the beverage industry is “frothing at the mouth”
Monday 2 November, 2009
Environment Victoria has today refuted claims by Fosters, Coca-Cola and Lion Nathan that a national container deposit scheme would be too expensive.
Environment...
moreCommunity tells Premier: world does not need our dirty coal
Thursday 22 October, 2009
Following revelations last week that the Energy Minister is advocating for a new coal export industry for Victoria, several hundred community members met on the steps of Parliament today to...
moreCoal export plans should be rejected
Wednesday 14 October, 2009
Following revelations in today’s Age, Environment Victoria called on Premier Brumby to reject proposals to develop a brown coal export industry.
The Age reported today that the Brumby...
more
Twitter
Our solar future on a knife-edge?
We hope not!
Media speculation is currently whirling around whether or not the Baillieu Government is about to cut Victoria’s solar feed-in tariff.
Environment Victoria supporters will remember the major campaign spearheaded by this organisation and...
more
Will the state government reveal its environment agenda
at next Tuesday’s budget?
Budget time is where the real priorities of governments are revealed. As has been said many times, real commitment is demonstrated when you put your money where your mouth is!
To date, the...
more
Environment Victoria's campaign highlights for the year
yep, there's a few...
It's never easy securing environmental victories, but we reckon we’ve had a pretty good year on the campaign trail. While we’re still not taking the critical big steps forward to reduce emissions, save our rivers and protect our...
more
Let's be honest...
It's going to cost money. Get used to it.
Part of what we do here at Environment Victoria is meet with politicians, their advisors and government bureaucrats.
It’s how we atone for our sins.
When we meet with them, we make sure they hear what’s...
more
Flickr
- The Quick Guide to our Community Climate Action Plan |
- 2011 Annual Report |
- Climate Change and Jobs |
- Coal export plans should be rejected |
- Community tells Premier: world does not need our dirty coal |
- Green group says the beverage industry is “frothing at the mouth” |
- Green Jobs plan a welcome investment for our future |
