India should earnestly try to create ‘green jobs’ to get rid of the dual threat of climate menace and unemployment crisis, as such move has the potential boost growth by minimising ecological risks. Well, green economy has the potential to create new job opportunities in climate finance, carbon budgeting, consulting and engineering, which shouldn’t be overlooked at any cost, as 80 per cent of the Indian populace live in areas threatened by climate-induced disasters. So, it is essential for the country to invest in a green economy for survival. These steps can create millions of jobs over a few decades. Considering this, India should formulate a national policy to make a cohesive move towards a green economy. Such a policy, if framed, should be elaborate enough to make the people’s conception clear in regards to the green economy, as public participation is a must to make it successful. Till now, not many people, especially the underprivileged, are aware of green economy and its significance. It should also be made clear to every citizen that the process of decarbonisation will not snatch away any job, but will instead ensure income by ensuring sustainability. In the past, many crucial moves of the government like automation were unnecessarily delayed due to some unpleasant controversies. In the case of green economy, the country can’t delay the process as the time is running out. It may be mentioned that India has vowed to achieve complete decarbonisation by 2075 at the 26th climate conference at Glasgow in 2021.
The green move, if taken up, will benefit several sectors like renewable energy, green building construction, clean energy, water conservation, land and waste management, etc. More importantly, jobs in these sectors can absorb skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled persons, which will hugely help the great Indian job market, as there is a dearth of skilled labourers in the country. What India needs to do is to incorporate the concept of green economy with the political economy to ensure maximum financial support. This is important because of the fact that the country’s environment budget has grown by a mere 1.03 per cent during the last decade. Along with the government, private sectors also should come forward not only to reap the rich benefits from the shift towards a green economy, but also to safeguard sustainability, which is the key to progress. Or else, the devastations witnessed in states like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in recent times will keep on occurring time and again, making a large part of the country inhabitable.
