According to research by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) (
www.unido.org) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), committing 1.5% of GDP to renewable energy would deliver economic growth and “a sufficient supply of energy resources”.
Yvo de Boer, director-general of GGGI and former head of the UN’s climate change secretariat, said: “Progress has been made with overcoming the assumption that cutting ‘green-house gases’ is incompatible with economic growth.
“This report moves the debate another step forward by showing that employment and development result from sustainable green growth.”
The two organisations explored the impacts of five countries’ large-scale clean-energy plans (including Brazil and South Africa).
They found that for every $1 million invested in clean energy, between 16 and 33 jobs are created.
Li Yong, director general of UNIDO, said: “This report show that green growth investments are not only viable for the most highly industrialised countries. Developing countries can also benefit from investments in clean and
renewable energy.”