La Green Economy per una nuova e migliore occupazione

About the Green Economy

The Green Economy was one of the two key themes at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 (Rio + 20). Sustainable development—meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs—must integrate the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental, and economic.

The term "Green Economy" first appeared in Blueprint for a Green Economy (Pearce et al., 1989). While no single international definition exists, the most widely used comes from UNEP (2011): a green economy is one that results in "improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. It is low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive."

The Green Economy is multidimensional, spanning multiple sectors and social aspects. In Italy, nearly 341,000 people (1.5% of the total workforce) held green jobs as of 2012 (Pontoni & Cusumano). Green jobs are roles in agriculture, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), and administrative or service activities that substantially contribute to preserving or restoring environmental quality. This includes work that protects ecosystems and biodiversity, reduces energy, material, and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies, decarbonizes the economy, and minimizes waste and pollution.

Beyond direct green jobs, the Green Economy indirectly or inducively employs nearly 1.224 million people (about 5% of the total workforce) and accounts for 5.3% of Italy’s GDP. Every million euros generated by the Italian Green Economy produces an indirect and induced economic effect of nearly 2.7 million euros.

Future Outlook and Employment Impact

The report Green Economy per una nuova e migliore occupazione (Pontoni & Cusumano, 2013) projects employment impacts by 2020 under two scenarios:

• Base Scenario: Assumes Italy meets EU "Europe 2020" targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy development, and waste separation. Investments of €227 billion (€28.3 billion annually) would increase green jobs by 48% compared to 2012, raising their share of the total workforce to 5.8% and contributing 14% to GDP growth.
• Go Green Scenario: Assumes more ambitious goals to position Italy as a European leader in the Green Economy. Investments of €272 billion (€34 billion annually) would grow green jobs by 48%, with the Green Economy workforce reaching 7.5% of the total. Direct green jobs would nearly double, and the sector’s contribution to GDP growth would exceed 40%.

Energy efficiency is the most promising sector in both scenarios. To unlock this potential and help Italy recover from its current crisis, policy actions are essential, including:

• Ensuring credit access for businesses
• Developing financing mechanisms to support innovation
• Investing in workforce training
• Improving collaboration between public administration and businesses
• Enhancing visibility of green products and services to boost demand