Future is Green

Green Jobs’ are ideally the jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as clean fuels, renewable energy, grid and electricity, clean vehicles, energy security and efficiency.

According to the reports of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), around 11.5 million Green Jobs created globally from the RE segment, while the major share being Asian countries.

Of late, the year 2020 has seen lot of turbulence across the globe due to the onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic. Industries, economies suffered great loss including Health, Employment among others.

The clean energy sector that was once promising a good career and employment opportunity with the rising focus of countries on “Clean Energy accessible for all” goals of Sustainable Development, it was bad hit on the global clean energy jobs. Only in US, one earlier prediction for the sector was that by end of 2020 around 175,000 jobs will be added, but in a stark contrast the pandemic hit sector saw almost 4.5lakh job cuts till date.

The latest IRENA Annual Review depicts initiatives to support the education and training of workers and advised the policymakers of various countries that they should “prioritise re-skilling for fossil fuel sector workers who have lost or are at risk of losing their livelihoods”. Post-Covid there is much more importance and potential for this sector to grow and with proper education and training, policies and labour market changes, this will lead to a sustainable growth of job creations to the tune of more than 5 million in next three years.

According to a study during mid-2019 by Council on Energy, Environment and Water, India (CEEW India) that, with target of 175 GW by 2022, India has the potential to create employment for over 330,000 workers in the wind and solar sectors alone and at least 230,000 additional workers by 2022.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership is taking a big stand for a clean and green world. With various international programmes spearheaded by India like India Energy Forum, International Solar Alliance, etc., the Green Energy sector is going big in India. The very recent Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) launched in India promoted by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) is an excellent initiative to drive the Green Energy jobs in India. The Mission of SCGJ is “To identify skilling needs of service users as well as manufacturers/ service providers, within Green Businesses sector, and implement nation-wide, Industry led, collaborative skills development & entrepreneur development initiatives that will enable meet India’s potential for Green Businesses.”

Shri Erik Solheim, the past Executive Director of United Nation Environment Program (UNEP), says India now produces the cheapest solar power in the world with prices fell 27% from 2018 to 2019 and this opens up huge opportunity for green jobs in India.

Driving India’s Energy Security and Efficiency initiatives, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, over the years has spearheaded India’s Energy Future in a World of Change. Shri Pradhan has welcomed global industries to become partners in India’s shared prosperity.

Under PM Modi, many path-breaking reforms are taking place in the energy sector with focus shifting from revenue to production maximisation bringing more transparency and maximising ease-of-doing business and hence a better destination for investments.

With the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, more educated youths are looking forward to becoming self-reliant by starting Green ventures with promises of creating more jobs.

As Shri Narendra Modi says’India’s energy will energise the world’, needless to say, with huge potential to drive the Clean and Green Energy sector, India will lead the Green Jobs arena in coming future.