Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement would create 8 million jobs by 2050, a new analysis published in the journal One Earth found.
Currently, 18 million people globally work in the energy sector, which the study defines as only those within the energy system, not adjacent sectors like energy efficiency or electric vehicle production.
If the world limited warming to well below 2°C, that number would increase to 26 million, 5 million more than if we continued on the current trajectory. Of the total energy system jobs in 2050, 84% would be in the renewables sector, 11% in fossil fuels, and 5% in nuclear.
The study authors spent two years looking at data from 50 different countries, including Russia, India and China, giving a more accurate overall picture than previous studies that extrapolated data from the US and OECD countries to estimate job gains globally.
There are some countries that would see net job losses, namely major fossil fuel exporters, but the majority are expected to see gains.
Meaning, renewable energy technologies create jobs up and down the supply chain and can spur broad and sustainable social and economic development. It accounted for an estimated 11.5 million jobs worldwide in 2019, up from 11 million the previous year.
To build the skills base for the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, countries will need more vocational training, stronger curricula, more teacher training and expanded use of information and communications technology for remote learning.
Reference- One Earth, IRENA Report, Clean Technica, The Guardian