This note provides a brief introduction to the green jobs debate and reviews commitments made by Governments in terms of employment and green jobs.

The world faces several sustainable development challenges which require coordinated action, as evidenced by the recurring food, fuel, climate and financial crises. These multiple crises need to be addressed at the same time. The concept of green job1 is an attempt to look for synergies in simultaneously addressing employment, energy and environment issues.

Energy use and environmental stresses have reached a scale at which planetary boundaries are being reached, increasing the probability of catastrophic environmental change.2,15 Despite many efforts, the declared goal of establishing a renewables-based low�]carbon energy system on a global scale remains elusive. Modern renewables jointly account for only about 1 per cent of primary energy, and CO2 emissions growth has been accelerating.

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