COP-24: A 'just transition' to a cleaner, greener, economy will bring benefits to the world

Mohamed Adow

Source: Christian Aid

Today at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, the host nation is launching a declaration on creating a 'just transition' for fossil fuel reliant communities as the world weans itself off climate harming industries like coal.

Christian Aid's International Climate Lead, Mohamed Adow, said that developed and developing countries have nothing to fear from the transition to a climate friendly economy.

"The opportunities of the green economy are already being felt. In the USA there are more jobs in the solar industry alone than in generating electricity through coal, oil and gas combined. The solar industry is also creating jobs 17 times faster than the rest of the economy. Around the world there are now more than 10 million people employed in renewables with this figure rising.

"Research from the London School of Economics this year showed that the amount of retraining needed to make people ready for the transition to green jobs is much lower than many realise. Their analysis showed that in the USA, 44% of workers already have the transferable skills needed to contribute to the green economy."

There has also been recent progress made in countries like Spain that have recently announced a 250m euro package to help coal miners as part of plans to phase out Spanish coal mines.

Mr Adow said the developing world also had much to gain from the transition away from a carbon-based economy.

"As well as tackling climate change the benefits for developing countries to leapfrog the fossil energy systems of the past to modern, clean alternatives, are clear. Trudging along the dirty development path trod by richer countries will see developing nations stuck in the past and pollute their environments while ruining efforts to limit global warming.

"In order to jump straight to renewables developing countries will need finance and support from richer countries but the benefits will be felt by everyone."