Businesses urged to develop ‘green jobs’

GOVERNMENT agencies led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) have formally launched a campaign for “green jobs” in light of the threats posed by climate change.

“Green jobs represent a new demand for labor, which arises from the investment in the shift from ‘non-green’ to ‘green.’ It’s not really new, you just add the dimension of environment to your decisions,” said Cynthia R. Cruz, chairperson of the First Philippine Green Jobs Conference held from Aug. 15 to 16 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

She told BusinessWorld that a job can be considered “green” when it does not leave out environmental considerations in the pursuit of profit.

Green jobs can be found in any sector, Ms. Cruz said.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Environment Program — two of the organizations that launched the Green Jobs Initiative in 2008 — defined green jobs as “jobs that help protect the ecosystem and biodiversity; reduce energy, material and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies; decarbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.”

Lurraine B. Villacorta, manager of the ILO climate change adaptation project, said in a phone interview there are job opportunities from climate change.

“It can generate new jobs or it may transform existing jobs that are detrimental to the environment and sustainability.”

During the conference, Ms. Cruz underscored the importance of developing green jobs in the archipelagic country.

“The Global Climate Risk Index… indicates the country’s high vulnerability to climate change impact,” she said.

Jerry T. Clavesillas, assistant director of the Department of Trade and Industry’s micro, small and medium enterprises bureau, said the agency is trying to help save the environment by advocating the use of biodegradable products among small businesses.

“We are promoting the use of indigenous raw materials that could appropriately be manufactured to replace [non-biodegradable] products. By doing that, we are already generating labor,” he said.

Ms. Villacorta acknowledged the possibility that some industries might be hurt in the shift to green jobs.

“In the short term, there will be negative effects. There are some jobs that will be lost. But in the long term, the implications are positive,” she said.

“Those which might be lost are the jobs that are detrimental to the environment. We want a sustainable economy,” Ms. Villacorta added.

Rafael E. Mapalo, director for education of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, said in a phone interview that there should be a just and fair transition toward the “greening” of industries.

“Rights of workers should not be compromised, and everything in collective bargaining agreements should be complied with,” he said.

“Workers should have retraining and education in order to appreciate the shift in the industry,” Mr. Mapalo added.

Ms. Cruz said the DoLE was also looking into the effects of climate change on the lives of workers.

“We talk about damaged crops, but we don’t talk about how many have lost their jobs because of climate change,” she said. — Cliff Harvey C. Venzon, Businessworld