Jamie Peters, a campaigner with the UK Youth Climate Change Coalition tells us why he thinks more needs to be done to create green jobs for young people.
"Two of the biggest issues facing young people are the environmental crisis we are facing and unemployment. If only there was something that could work towards a solution to both of these…
Well the good news is that there is!
Climate change is already occurring much faster than climate scientists predicted and its effects are going to be felt even more profoundly over the next few decades. It is young people today you will have to face up to the challenges of climate change and future generations who will have to deal with one of the biggest threats to our way of lives ever seen.
Unemployment, and particularly youth unemployment, is a huge problem and it is getting bigger in Scotland and the UK. 1 in 5 young people are without work in the UK at the moment.
By pushing for new jobs in the exciting and emerging Green sector we will we pushing for solutions to two of the greatest challenges that we are faced with. Young people want an exciting, meaningful future, young people want employment opportunities and young people want to contribute to society. We demand Green Jobs!
There is a lot more to Green Jobs than building wind turbines (although I think that sounds like a pretty cool Green Job). We will need to create much more sustainable transport, make loads of houses more efficient and create a workforce with all the skills needed to help us move to a low carbon society. We also need changes in lots of different aspects of life and each change will need new skills and new green jobs. Changes to banking (ethical banking), changes to education (teachers with expertise in climate change) and changes to so many other areas will create a variety of opportunities. All of those tasks need lots of Green Jobs with the training and skills needed to do them. Young people today are crying out for the chance to apply themselves to meaningful and forward looking careers.
An organisation that I work with have been shouting about how important this issue is for the government to respond to. UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC) are calling for government departments to work together and use some long term and positive thinking to make our green job vision something practical and importantly get employment opportunities for young people.
A Green Job will be a well paid job that provides the employee with skills and confidence to contribute to the vision, and the reality, of a sustainable future. A Green Job will provide job security and the opportunity to progress through an exciting career. A Green Job is what young people want! The alternative of not investing in green jobs, not responding to youth unemployment or climate change is unimaginable so let’s make sure we can help create these exciting and much needed opportunities.
To find out more of get involved with the amazing campaign for Green Jobs then please visit here - http://yfgj.ukycc.org/blog/."
Jamie Peters
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