The employment implications of a low-carbon economy

Abstract

The threat of global warming and unacceptable levels of unemployment are two items high on policy agendas in the 1990s. Increasing emphasis on 'sustainable development' ensures that debate surrounding the relationship between jobs and the environment is kept under the research microscope. In the past, the supposed incompatibility of environmental protection and employment was a fairly deep-rooted and little-contested belief. However, recent 'revisionist' thinking has spotlighted discrepancies with this traditional economic approach. Increasingly, environmental economic literature cites the relationship between the two as positive, with careful policy implementation enabling mutual reinforcement. This paper details the background to the 'jobs versus environment' debate, providing a summary of the latest literature and assessing the prospects for increased employment in a low-carbon economy. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment