Employment which provides, what is termed ‘decent’ and environmentally friendly work, also colloquially referred to as “green jobs” have become somewhat of a symbol of a more sustainable economy and a caring society. It is also considered capable of preserving the environment for present and future generations in a more appropriate and inclusive manner. The ideas behind green growth and clean development are mostly presented through practices that are both favourable for the environment and economic growth.
Currently, most people still do not pay enough attention to environmental quality which then has an impact on many fields. In fact, environmental sustainability has become a serious problem that affects the economy for the future. This has resulted in fresh graduates deeply considering the sort of jobs they will take in the future fter graduating from college. Many of them are looking very specifically for “Green Jobs”.
What are Green Jobs?
Basically, Green Jobs are types of work that are environmentally friendly. This type of work supports environmental preservation and maintains the sustainability of life from present to future generations.
Green Jobs are necessary because the quality of the environment is decreasing, and they also open new sectors to help economic growth. The International Labor Organization (ILO) explains that there are 5 main objectives of green jobs, namely protecting and restoring ecosystems, increasing energy and raw material efficiency, minimizing waste and pollution in production processes, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting climate change adaptation.
The deterioration of environmental quality, including the degradation and depletion of natural resources, is the most serious threat to the economy and broader and sustainable development. In the future, this problem will become worse due to the impacts of climate change, which are already starting to be felt in various developing countries. In the medium and long term, the problem of climate change can cause serious disruption to socio-economic activities in various sectors in the world.
Every country has the opportunity to create more green jobs, namely quality jobs that can help create an environmentally friendly and low-carbon economy. But these opportunities need to be properly assessed and fully utilized through appropriate green economy implementation.
Green jobs are intended to reduce the environmental impact caused by companies and certain economic sectors, to a level that is able to preserve the environment. In particular, this includes work that can help protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reducing energy, material and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies; decarbonization of the economy; and reducing or preventing the creation of all forms of waste and pollution.
Green jobs in developed and developing countries include employment for managers, scientists and technicians and many different parties can benefit from them including teenagers, farmers, villagers, and poor slum dwellers. Therefore, policies regarding the creation of green jobs need to focus on efforts to shift employment focus onto jobs that are green and of good quality and capable of preserving the environment. If green jobs are to be used as a bridge to create a truly sustainable future, then changes need to be made.
Therefore, green jobs must be decent work. Decent and environmentally friendly work is effectively linked to Sustainable Development Goal 1 (poverty reduction) and Sustainable Development Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth) which complement each other rather than conflict with each other.
Fields that have the potential to address climate change and other environmental problems include:
Restoring existing green stock and construction
Waste processing and recycling
Public transportation
Sustainable agriculture and food production
Sustainable (certified) forestry and preventing deforestation
Manufacturing and supply chain management
Energy supply and efficiency
Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems
Examples of Green Jobs:
1. Ecopreneur
Ecopreneur is work carried out by an entrepreneur by carrying out environmentally based business activities. The word "ecopreneur" is a combination of two words, namely "eco" which means related and the word "entrepreneur" which means entrepreneur.
When you become an ecopreneur, the activities you carry out are of course related to business, such as making and selling products or services while still paying attention to environmental sustainability. To become an ecopreneur, environmental impacts must also be considered.
Ecopreneur's work is not only about making a profit, but can also have a positive impact over a long period of time. Moreover, ecopreneur can be developed into several types of business groups. For example, eco-education with a focus on education, eco-tourism with a tourism focus to eco-digital which can be developed as the communications industry advances.
2. Startup Energy
The number of startups in Indonesia is increasing day by day. One of the startup fields with this type of green jobs is in the energy sector. Startups that focus in this field provide renewable energy and create systems for saving energy in everyday life.
Energy startups are also known as new renewable energy and have very promising prospects so that employment opportunities in this field are also experiencing very rapid growth.
3. Energy Consultant
The role of energy consultants is currently very much needed. Energy consultants will of course manage energy based on sustainable development, efficiency and environmental preservation. Increasingly, there are more and more companies operating in the industrial and building sectors. So, energy consultants will be really needed.
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