At the end of January 2021, the President of the United States Joe Biden signed a series of orders in favor of the fight against climate change, including stopping new oil and gas drilling on federal lands and cutting fossil fuel subsidies. Biden has promised to create new jobs by promoting his green policies, which contrast with the anti-environmental one of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump
By Dr. Neta Lipman, Angle - Science and Environment News Agency
At the end of January 2021, the President of the United States Joe Biden signed a series of orders in favor of the fight against climate change, including stopping new oil and gas drilling on federal lands and cutting fossil fuel subsidies. Biden has promised to create new jobs by promoting his green policies, which contrast with the anti-environmental one of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.
The new president unveiled a government policy that puts climate change at the center of the United States' security and foreign policy, alongside domestic infrastructure planning, which he says will provide millions of decent jobs.
In response, there were quite a few opponents who complained about stopping a large and developed industry in America, a stop that would cause many people to lose their jobs. Unemployed, as we all know, is the red sheet of the American discourse, certainly in the days of Corona and certainly from the mouth of a new president. However, it seems that Biden arrived backed by thinking about a new future for American jobs, the renewable energy market in particular and "green" jobs in general.
His idea is to invest in the future because it will help us not only to raise children in a healthier environment, but also to create an active economy in a new and developing market.
make lemonade from corona lemons
11 months into the corona crisis there are many things we still do not know about the epidemic and its effects. What we are sure of today, is that the crisis that afflicts us does not only affect health, but also affects society, the economy and affects almost all areas of our lives.
according to Employment outlook report 2020 of the OECD organization - published last July, Israel is the second country in the rate of increase in the number of unemployed (including unemployed) in the Corona crisis among the developed countries (the United States is the first). The report also predicted that the unemployment rate in Israel would rise in the event of a second wave. Predictions confirmed when According to Bank of Israel data As of the beginning of August, the unemployment rate in Israel was about 12 percent.
Many bodies in the world look at the corona crisis in terms of opportunity. The general perception is: there is a catastrophe here, but within it there is also a change in the resource consumption patterns of the human population. That's why you should take advantage of the crisis and make lemonade out of lemons.
indeed, The report on the future of nature and global business The World Economic Forum's 2020 report identified the transition to a green economy as a catalyst for annual business opportunities worth $10 billion, which could create 395 million jobs globally by 2030.
A good example of the combination of these two factors is the Australian government's decision to create 10,000 new jobs related to waste recycling in the country. The idea behind this venture is to take advantage of the opportunity to change the country's waste treatment and recycling industry and the way it deals with waste of resources. As part of the project, The Australian government announced for an investment of 190 million Australian dollars (equivalent to 130 million American dollars) in establishing a recycling fund in the country. A need that arose even before the Corona crisis.
Two problems at once
A transition to renewable energies and the creation of a new labor market precisely in this sensitive period of time can, therefore, be a significant springboard to the solution of two problems in one fell swoop: we also reduce the dangers of the climate crisis, increase the durability of the system and create immunity, and also create additional jobs for the labor market.
In Italy, for example, more than 3 million workers, 13.4 percent of the labor force, are already employed in green jobs. These are the jobs that are in demand for workers in Italy: cooking with local and organic ingredients; Engineers and lawyers specializing in renewable energy for the issue; green building. Companies give incentives to those who bring green solutions that help optimize the company's output and profits, and there is an increasing demand for experts who know and understand procedures and laws related to renewable energy.
Led by Germany, where the economy numbers about 40,000 Technicians who deal with solar energy, Europe produces about 30 percent of the photovoltaic energy in the world, and there is always a demand for more technicians in the field.
think about the long term
There are those who argue in favor of the economic benefit of maintaining the current situation in the short term - until the technological improvement comes that will get us out of the climate mud - and who believe that we should continue to invest in the energy industry based on fossil fuels. However, the demand for this fuel is decreasing, not only due to climate policy, but due to technological improvements (for example in car engines), which will harm the GDP of exporters such as the USA, Russia and Canada already in 2035.
According to a Dutch study that examined investments in the oil industry, if the US promotes new technologies and reduces the use of fossil fuels - it will be able to create jobs and balance the loss of revenue from oil exports. Conversely, if the US continues to invest in the shrinking oil industry, it will still lose revenue from this industry, but will miss out on the development of the new labor market and will be more dependent on oil imports in favor of an outdated domestic industry.
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