Job creation during a climate compliant global energy transition across the power, heat, transport, and desalination sectors by 2050

Abstract

Driven by climate mitigation goals countries around the world are prioritising low-cost renewables for economic growth and recovery from the aftermath of the global pandemic. It is quite clear that sustainable technology choices result in broader socioeconomic benefits, as is shown by countries that have been early movers in transitioning their energy sectors towards higher shares of renewables. There is growing interest in better understanding the direct impact on employment by energy transitions with concerns over jobs lost in the conventional energy sectors, which will be crucial in informing decision making around the world. This research focuses on the net employment impacts of an accelerated uptake of renewable energy that envisages the world deriving 100 % of its energy from renewable sources by 2050, compatible with the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement. Direct energy jobs associated with the power, heat, transport, and desalination sectors increase substantially from about 57 million in 2020 to nearly 134 million by 2050. Value chains in renewables and sustainable technologies are found to be more labour intensive than extractive fossil fuels. The results indicate that a global energy transition will have positive impacts on future stability and growth of economies around the world.