The United Nations describes so-called green jobs as those that contribute to preserving and restoring the environment. There are dozens of occupations, from electric vehicle engineers to solar panel installers, from eco-designers to forestry workers or agroecology specialists.

One of the objectives of the United Nations and many other entities is to create decent jobs so that millions of people can escape poverty and inequality. Added to this objective is another: to carry out a fair energy transition to stop the advance of climate change and end the systemic inequality that persists between the global North and the global South.

There is a solution to end both problems: the creation of green jobs. The ILO defines green jobs as decent jobs that contribute to preserving and restoring the environment, whether in traditional sectors, such as manufacturing or construction, or in emerging ones, such as those linked to renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The transition to green jobs will involve the economic, social and labour transformation of all productive sectors, since all are affected by and must respond appropriately to climate change.

Green jobs facilitate greater efficiency in the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, minimise waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems and contribute to adaptation to climate change.