Enabling the net zero transition by upskilling the world’s youth
For climate transition to happen at the speed and scale the world needs, the active and enthusiastic participation of governments, businesses and individuals will be essential. Success will depend, too, upon another demographic – the world’s youth. Every bit as important will be making sure they are allowed to share and actively participate - no matter where they are, their gender or socio-economic status - in the opportunities that will arise.
The green transition will render a great many jobs obsolete, but it will create still more. This will mean providing young people all over the world with the skills they need, and, for those currently in jobs that will be lost, re-skilling so they can play their parts to the fullest. The task ahead is formidable. It will require a coordinated response from policy, business, community and NGO leaders.
Climate transition brings with it, however, a chance to reset. A historic opportunity to address some of the barriers to opportunity that young people have had to face for too long. The proportion of young people across the world not currently in employment, education or training stands at a 17-year high, with the problem most acute among women and those in low income countries, often the most blighted by climate change,. The UN has warned that the total number of unemployed young people worldwide could reach 73 million in 2022, six million above pre pandemic levels in 2019. This could, in turn, contribute to larger scale migration, and, at times, societal unrest.
Handled effectively, however, the green transition could be the beginning of a fairer and fulfilling new era for the world's youth. The chance to harness potential that has for too long been squandered.
Handled ineffectively, it will exacerbate existing disparities. The sectors where the workforces are predominantly male - such as utilities, construction and manufacturing - are the ones where the greatest jobs growth is expected. This could all too easily widen the jobs gap between men and women. Research shows, too, that workers with a university education are acquiring green skills faster than those without, which will widen the gap between youngsters from affluent and poor backgrounds. If green jobs are seen to be the preserve of a privileged few, it will almost certainly alienate the very demographic upon whom the success of transition will depend - and the wider public - with potentially disastrous consequences.
Many young people are passionate about tackling the greatest challenge of our times. An emphatic 71% of young people surveyed, irrespective of gender or background, actively want to be involved in the green transition. They want to play their parts in protecting our planet and ensuring their future and the future of their children. Already, around the world, a great many are blazing the trail, setting up projects that are addressing climate change head-on. Their enthusiasm and ingenuity is at once humbling and inspiring. These efforts will not, however, be sufficient to secure the transition: governments and businesses must step up, too.
The challenge and the opportunity will be in harnessing the vast reserves of talent and energy that young people possess across all the old barriers. It is our hope that this new report will contribute to a serious global conversation on this subject that needs to take place. The report does not merely identify the obvious problems, but suggests some practical solutions.
All of us want to leave the world a better place. This report puts forward a framework on how to go about it. Success could well tick all three boxes - addressing climate change, the youth skills crisis, and driving, into the bargain, global economic growth. What is also clear is that failure is not an option.
https://www.pwc.com/NetZeroGeneration