Posted by At the start of the 21st century, three of the main challenges Europe faces are: creating jobs, boosting the economy and protecting the environment. Luckily there is rarely any contradiction between these goals. In fact, numerous studies show that investments in green technologies – such as recycling waste, renewable energies or insulating houses – leads to a net increase in jobs.
One of the key features of the EU’s response to the current economic crisis is to emphasise the job-creating potential of the green economy, both as part of the European Recovery Plan and the European Commission’s proposals to tackle the employment impacts of the crisis.
No more tilting at windmills
The Spanish region of Navarra is a perfect example of how to create jobs by taking a proactive approach to environmental protection. Navarra produces almost three-quarters of its electricity from renewable sources – mainly wind, solar and biomass. Five percent of Navarra’s GDP now comes from the renewable energy sector and 5,000 jobs have been created in the sector in the last decade.
We filmed wind turbine factories and wind farms to illustrate the massive potential of wind energy in job creation in Europe – up to 325,000 new jobs by 2020 according to a study by the wind energy association. We also shot at a photovoltaic factory in the south of the province to show how free energy from the sun is not only providing cheap, clean energy but also creating much-needed jobs in solar panel factories.
The EU is helping the transition to a low carbon economy through its social and regional funds. Moving from old polluting industries to cleaner, greener ones also requires research and training – both net job creators. At the national research centre on renewables and the national centre for training in renewable technologies in Pamplona we filmed the next generation of scientists and engineers at work.
Mining green technologies
Many industrial areas of Europe face the threat of mass unemployment if they fail to evolve and retool and reskill workers. This was the fate that loomed when the Ollerton mine near Nottingham closed in 1994 and 600 miners were thrown on the dole. But instead of allowing the community to die like so many coal and steel area in Europe, the miners of this midlands town banded together to search for a radical solution. Former miner Stan Crawford, now the managing director of the Sherwood Energy Village, says the locals decided to use sustainable development as a regeneration tool to attract businesses and investment.
At the time, many thought the miners crazy. But the risk has paid off. 1200 jobs have already been created and 2000 are planned. Ollerton now has a much more sustainable economy and workers have been retrained and reskilled for the new services era. The town is also a model of environmental planning – the coal site has been completely reclaimed and new offices and housing units have been built to the strictest standards.
We talked to Crawford about how Ollerton made this transition and how it can act as an example for other industrial areas undergoing transformation.
The construction sector has perhaps the greatest potential for creating new jobs that will help reduce energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these will be in retrofitting energy intensive houses with insulation and double-glazing. Using footage of cavity wall insulation, we show that such work is good for the environment and good for job creation.
Please watch the video below (just dubbleclick on the image):
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