Income Differentiation as a Factor of Unsustainability in Forestry

Mansoor Maitah,Daniel Toth,Kamil Maitah,Veronika Jarolínová,Luboš Smutka

doi:10.3390/su12114749

Mansoor Maitah, Daniel Toth + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114749

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jun 10, 2020
Citations: 9	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Abstract

Environmental policy is a set of objectives put in place for the protection of natural resources including water, air, soil, food, and other renewable resources. In addition, it has a considerable impact on the labor market and the income of employees in the environmental and forestry sectors. Environmental policy both directly and indirectly creates new jobs, the so-called green jobs. These jobs are designed to be long-term and sustainable, working towards both environmental and socio-economic stability. The aim of the research was to determine if there was a difference in income between the forestry and the environmental policy sectors. The primary objective of this paper was to propose ideas and instruments for strengthening the income of employees in both sectors to the creators of the new State Environmental Policy. This objective was met through appropriate research methods, including the field survey technique. In terms of statistics, we used descriptive characteristics and tested the hypothesis using a T-test. The data from 70 respondents were collected from January 2019 to December 2019. Half of the respondents were from the forestry sector, and the other half worked in environmental protection. Their total income was compared by using two selective T-tests, and the results showed a strong discrepancy. The analysis indicated that the average incomes in forestry are significantly lower than incomes in the environmental protection sector (in the Czech Republic). The statistically higher income of environmental workers reflects that the State Environmental Policy is effective, which improves the position of employees in the labor market. The forestry sector deserves similar concentrated state assistance, and therefore we recommend that the new State Environmental Policy in the Czech Republic also addresses the problem of low income in forestry.

Highlights

Environmental policy is defined by the EU legislation as a set of objectives that aim to protect the environment
We found that in the Czech Republic the average monthly income of a forestry worker was almost identical to the average gross monthly wages (1074 EUR) [5]
The results of our research were significant, showing the total income of 70 respondents: 35 who worked in forestry and 35 who worked in environmental protection

Summary

Introduction

Environmental policy is defined by the EU legislation as a set of objectives that aim to protect the environment. The environment is based on Articles 11 and 191–193 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Under Article 191, combating climate change is an explicit objective of the EU environmental policy. Almost 120,000 people in the Czech Republic work in the field of environmental protection, and about 13,000 people work in the forestry [1,2]. Throughout the European Union, the number of people employed in environmental protection increased from 1.4 million to 4.2 million [1,2], making it the fastest-growing area in the labor market. Over the past fifteen years, the number of employees in environmental protection has increased by 49 percent

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