Eurofound staff and alumni planted 100 silver birch, Scots pine, rowan, and Hazel trees at Eurofound in Loughlinstown, Dublin today as part of Irish National Tree Week and the broader pledge of the European Commission to plant 3 billion additional trees by 2030.
In the latest episode of Eurofound Talks Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net employment from EU decarbonisation measures, but also potentially broad shifts in the labour market that could have a profound impact in several areas.
While some environmental indicators have improved across the EU, there are large inequalities between people at different income levels in Europe, with low-income populations drastically worse off in terms of the quality of their neighbourhood and housing.
Recycling revenues from energy and carbon taxes to support low-income groups, investing in renovating buildings and in green mobility are among measures that could ensure public support for Europe’s sustainability agenda and a socially just transition.
Achieving climate-neutral objectives established at European and international levels, such as in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal, needs broad-based support and cross-departmental policy development at national, regional and local levels.
This graph shows the projected impact of fully implementing the Paris Climate Agreement on the GDP of different countries in the EU by 2030, compared to a ‘business as usual’ baseline forecast. Latvia, Malta and Belgium will experience the largest boost to their GDP.
The successful transition towards a low-carbon economy, as defined by the Paris Climate Agreement, is projected to result in a 1.1% growth in GDP, and a 0.5% growth in employment, in the EU between now and 2030. This is compared to a ‘business as usual’ baseline forecast.