Don’t miss this compelling video from the United Nations Development Program for COP26.
It’s part of the Don’t Choose Extinction campaign that lists common excuses for not taking action on climate change.
Here is Excuse #2. “We’ll lose too many jobs if we get rid of fossil fuels.” The response is that people won’t lose jobs. Instead, the jobs will become renewable energy jobs, even adding potentially 24 million new jobs by 2030.
However, the people who are losing the fossil fuel jobs and those getting the renewable energy jobs aren’t likely the same ones. The impact of the transition to a low-carbon world is not going to impact all countries, industries, and families equally. And falling demand for high-carbon products and rising demand for low-carbon products will unevenly disrupt labor.
Business leaders will need to assess the various decarbonization paths in terms of the jobs lost or gained and who is affected. Some people will need new skills training.
Without leadership to manage these labor disruptions, citizen pushback may derail decarbonization efforts.
If we are to have a smooth transition it will require an unprecedented degree of cooperation and collaboration between those most affected by climate change and those most in a position to help.
We will also need to have opportunities to discuss the actual state of the planet without softening it and education to help people focus on the behavior changes that matter most.
Let’s not choose extinction. But let’s also prepare for the hard work ahead of us.
