Green and Decent Jobs: The case for local action

Article

In this paper we argue that to maximise the benefits of the green jobs revolution, we must make sure that green jobs are also good jobs, paying a decent wage and offering more and better employment opportunities to a wide range of people.

Green jobs are often heralded as the solution to the twin challenges of lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and bringing down unemployment. However, very little has been said about what new green jobs might look like - who will be doing them, how much might they pay and where will they be? Unequal access to jobs, low pay and a lack of progression routes are endemic problems in some parts of the UK labour market.

To make the revolution a reality, we make the case for greater action at the local level, and by a greater range of individuals and organisations. We examine the potential for new partnerships between lots of different organisations - based on examples of best practice from the USA - to help ensure that new green jobs are right for local communities.

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