When we talk about the great green economic transformation, we often miss a piece of the puzzle: human capacity. Yes, financing renewables is vital but, without training, who’ll be able to make it all work? The transition away from fossil fuels, as agreed at the most recent United Nations COP climate summit, creates opportunities for economic development and job creation. But we mustn’t forget that people need to gain the right skills — from elementary math to specialist technical knowledge — before taking on green roles.
The situation on this front is dire. Roughly 69% of people aged 16-24 globally lack secondary education-level skills. Without those basic literacy and numeracy skills, these people will find it difficult, if not impossible, to play a role in the transition. Basic education is also one of the best ways to create resilience.
This is especially acute in low- and middle-income countries, where young people and women are more likely to be unskilled, unemployed or in unstable work. But it’s an issue everywhere: LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills report found that while green job postings are up by 15% year-on-year, the supply of suitably equipped workers just isn’t there.
This is a justice issue. As skills change, there’s a risk that more people get left behind and without economic opportunities. But it’ll also affect the transition itself. Liesbet Steer, president and chief executive officer of the global nonprofit Education Development Center, pointed out to me that scarce labor drives up cost. Without a plentiful supply of well-trained workers, the transition will not only be slower, but far more expensive.
The backlash against climate policies would likely also be reduced if people understood what it meant for jobs and were able to access those opportunities.Take Dutch farmers, who have been protesting for months against agricultural reforms that may require them to shut down or reduce the size of their farms. They formed a political party in 2019 to push back against such policies, which are aimed at reducing nitrogen and ammonia pollution. Without retraining — to give them skills to reduce the environmental impact of their farms or to help them change careers — it’s natural they’d feel resentful. What happened in the Netherlands will be a pattern if education and training aren’t tackled as key elements of the transition.It’d help if people received fundamental climate change information, but that also seems to be behind. A UNESCO analysis of education curricula from 100 countries shows that only 53% make any reference to climate change and, when the subject is mentioned, it is almost always given low priority.
Anna Bagwell, a student leader on the Youth Climate Advocacy Committee run by Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, told me that most students who come through the program report getting their climate knowledge from online sources. It was only in July that the state of Connecticut mandated climate-change studies across its public schools as part of its science curriculum — and it’s one of the only US states to do so.
Steer says that education and training are still seen by the climate sector as someone else’s responsibility rather than an integral part of the solution. While two-thirds of climate action plans laid out by 2015 Paris Agreement signatories recognise the importance of skills development, only 40% have an implementation plan. Even fewer mention climate-change education.
The global stocktake, the landmark deal delivered at COP28, does reflect an increased focus on capacity building. But, as Steer comments, “the devil is in the detail.” Skills development is only mentioned briefly, with no reference to training or education. The tract of negotiations that covers education and training, Action for Climate Empowerment, failed to reach an agreement during the summit, so talks will resume in Bonn next summer.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders published an open letter ahead of COP28. Signed by 108 business leaders from companies including Deutsche Bank AG and Sony Group Corp., it calls for regulatory change and new investment, but says nothing about skills or education. That feels odd considering labor shortages are already being cited as one of the main challenges facing firms in sectors such as construction, manufacturing and technology.
As we move into a new year, there needs to be much greater weight placed on reskilling and upskilling entire labor forces. Political and business leaders ought to work together on providing retraining opportunities for adults in jobs that are being, or will be, disrupted, and they must make sure that information about new opportunities is properly shared throughout communities. For example, EDC research identified more than 270 different occupations in the fastest-growing green and blue sectors in developing countries: renewable energy, green construction, waste management, tourism and hospitality, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. However, in speaking to training providers, local governments and jobseekers, researchers found few were even aware of these opportunities.
And we shouldn’t forget the youngest and most marginalised members of society. The Global Education Monitoring Report estimates that there will be an average annual financing gap of $97 billion between 2023 and 2030 in low- and low-middle income countries for achieving universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education by the dawn of the next decade. This needs to be addressed.
After all, when humans built the pyramids, or the Empire State Building, or any of the other monuments to human capacity, they probably started with the foundations.
