sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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for groups that are usually bypassed by the conventional model of economic growth (i.e., the poor, young
people and women) (United Nations, <strong>20</strong>10a).
Although the Latin American countries have been moving towards policies that will promote both
<strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> and the creation of jobs and other types of employment that provide workers
with social benefits, the implementation of these policies is still in its initial stages. There are, however,
some national programmes that are taking a “green jobs” approach. Examples include Brazil’s initiative
in the area of biofuels and low-cost housing construction; ecotourism and <strong>sustainable</strong> farming projects in
Costa Rica and Guatemala; and the promotion of infrastructure that can be adapted to cope with climate
change in Haiti (ILO, <strong>20</strong>09a).
As of <strong>20</strong>08, there were nearly 2.6 million jobs (6.7% of employment in the formal sector) in
Brazil that could be described as “green”. These jobs are in six sectors of economic activity that are
classified as low polluters or as doing little harm to the environment (see table I.6). Most green jobs are in
transport and renewable energy industries; others are in recycling, forestry exploration and
telecommunications. The most promising sectors in terms of their potential for creating green jobs in
Brazil are the recycling industry, biofuels and <strong>sustainable</strong> construction (ILO, <strong>20</strong>09b).
Table I.6
BRAZIL: NUMBER OF GREEN JOBS IN EACH ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, <strong>20</strong>08
Economic activity
Number of jobs
Forestry management and production 139 768
Renewable energy (generation and distribution) 547 569
Sanitation, waste and environmental risk management 303 210
Maintenance, repairs and restoration of products and materials 435 737
Public transit and alternative land-based and aeronautic means of transport 797 249
Telecommunications and telephony 429 526
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), Empregos verdes no Brasil: quantos são, onde estão e como evoluirão nos
próximos anos, Brasilia, <strong>20</strong>09.
In order to take advantage of the potential offered by green jobs, well-structured policies are
needed to maximize the opportunities and minimize the social costs of the transition. The Green Jobs
Initiative was launched in September <strong>20</strong>08 by UNEP, ILO and the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) (UNEP/ILO, <strong>20</strong>08;
Poschen, <strong>20</strong>07). This programme supports policymaking initiatives through: (a) active participation in
high-level international debates on climate change and <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>; (b) global and countrylevel
analyses of the potential for green job creation; (c) direct technical assistance for governments and
civil society stakeholders; and (d) training for civil servants and for civil society stakeholders.
4. Environmental performance at the sectoral level
As the region’s production patterns evolve, the various sectors of the economy must find ways of dealing
with their environmental impacts. The challenges that they face in this respect are formidable, but each
industry is making headway. The region’s experiences with <strong>sustainable</strong> production and consumption
provide valuable cross-cutting lessons (see box I.4). Chapter II examines the implementation of economic
instruments for environmental management and chapter III looks at private-sector initiatives for
supporting sustainability.