Jobs for a sustainable future – Nature Sustainability

Human occupations have been evolving throughout history. In ancient times, many communities lived in harmony with their natural environments and their members engaged in works connected to nature, such as hunting and fishing. As civilizations evolved, paid work — employment — was established, with activities mostly connected in various ways to the land. The Industrial Revolution resulted in a major transition towards widespread manufacturing processes, and extractive activities in many regions started during the second half of the eighteenth century; this transition led to the emergence of new types of jobs in mechanized factory systems. Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, mass production of goods supported by fossil energy led to increased environmental impact and pollution, marking the departure from a nature-centric mode of life and the development of socioeconomic systems, and hence jobs, disconnected from the natural world. In the mid-twentieth century, growing awareness of environmental problems led to the first systematic efforts to address environmental degradation, a trend that slowly grew into an international discourse on sustainable development to rediscover humanity’s connection with nature.

Planning for a just sustainability transition should focus on transforming job markets for the future.
Credit: Richard Levine / Alamy Stock Photo

In recent years, the concept of ‘green jobs’ has entered the sustainability discourse¹, with an emphasis on re-oriented roles and businesses in view of achieving climate-neutral economies through the expansion of renewable energy and eco-friendly practices. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been actively exploring the opportunities and risks of the transition to a more sustainable economy for the labour market, while the past two United Nations climate change conferences presented the initiative on the Green Jobs for Youth Pact².

Many countries have made steps towards creating ‘greener’ jobs, by investing in renewable energy and transport electrification and promoting the integration of environmental considerations into industries, but there is still a long way to go, as Jonatan Pinkse explains in a World View. His article is part of the Focus issue on Sustainability and Employment, bringing together research and opinions about the multiple facets of shifting to a job market able to support the sustainability transition.

The shift to a fully climate-neutral economy is challenging, as sectors with high carbon emissions and environmental impact continue to dominate and resist changing to more sustainable practices. Admittedly, existing jobs offer economic benefits and ‘move’ the economy. Changing the status quo will be hard, as incumbent firms fear losing power, both in economic and political terms, something Marko Hekkert clearly elucidates in another World View in this issue.

An Article by Stangl et al. takes a close look at how the worst outcomes of a sustainability transition in terms of economic and job losses could be avoided. By simulating the entire firm-level production system of Hungary and potential cross-sectoral decarbonization strategies at the national level, the authors show that, if properly planned, an economy can be decarbonized with minimum employment and economic output losses, if firm-level production networks are leveraged to design effective strategies. Targeting first the largest emitters or firms with fewer employees, on the contrary, could create adverse consequences for employment and/or economy.

Very few research efforts have addressed sustainability–employment dynamics and how to balance them. Such a gap is hard to fill because we do not know much about national employment markets. In a Comment, Ulrike Lehr explains the challenges of doing research on this topic due to the limited availability of reliable data. Transparency and openness should be promoted, so that researchers can provide viable solutions for sustainable employment transitions.

Slowing down the sustainability transition because of job market or other types of resistance is not an option. Continuing with unsustainable practices will affect the productivity of sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, energy, forestry and many others, and this in turn will have negative effects on jobs, as discussed in a Snapshot in this issue. Such effects on employment will likely be much more serious than the potential job losses of a shift towards greener jobs. Decision makers are urged to realize this now.

While progress has been made, there is a pressing need for more substantial efforts, innovative solutions and global collaboration through comprehensive policy frameworks to ensure a widespread and effective transition of jobs in support of the sustainability transformations for the well-being of people and the planet. A more sustainable future is within reach; the job starts now.