The twin crises of economic recession and environmental degradation are the most significant challenges facing Ireland today. With the second highest unemployment rate in the EU-15 and the second highest level of CO2 emissions per person in the EU-25, it is clear that a serious rethink of Ireland’s employment and environmental policies is needed. Investment in the green economy is the only way to tackle both issues at the same time; and the green economy is about to take off.
A recent study by Forfás estimated the Environmental Goods and Services sector in Ireland at €2.8 billion in 2008. By contrast, the global sector was worth €600 billion in 2005 and is expected to hit €800 billion in 2015. Given Ireland’s extensive natural renewable energy resources, “green” image and strong IT base, the potential for significant growth in Ireland’s EGS (Environmental Goods and Services) industry and the creation of new jobs in the sector is clear.
So what impact would the Lisbon Treaty have on Ireland’s future green jobs market? The answer is three-fold. First, Lisbon makes fighting climate change an explicit objective of the Union for the first time. It also extends Europe’s capabilities in the area of energy and energy networks. Moreover, in its external relations, the EU would have a responsibility to “preserve and improve the quality of the environment and the sustainable management of global natural resources, in order to ensure sustainable development’ (Article 10A, TEU). This means sustainable development and the protection of the environment would be an underlying value for all future relations with other countries.
As the major driver for Ireland’s Environmental Goods and Services industry, EU policy is essential to Ireland’s green jobs market. Already we have seen significant investment and job creation in areas such as renewable energies, energy efficiency and eco-construction (including retrofitting) as well as environmental consultancy and management. The Lisbon Treaty strengthens the EU’s hand in policy areas relevant to the greentech industry and would therefore ensure that this important impetus continues to foster growth in Irish green jobs.
The second reason why the Lisbon Treaty is good for the green jobs market in Ireland relates to the European common market. In the past, the common market has proven to be instrumental in creating Irish jobs, providing a market for Irish exports and attracting foreign direct investment. Given that Europe has the most progressive environmental policies in the world, the potential for Irish exports to Europe is even greater than before.
The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty would ensure that Ireland remains a major player in the European market and a desirable destination for green foreign direct investment. In particular, the emphasis on a European energy market and the interconnection of national energy networks would ensure that Ireland is able to sell its surplus electricity produced through renewables to other European countries.
Finally, the Lisbon Treaty encourages green jobs through the promotion of research and the improved protection of intellectual property rights. Innovation-led growth has become increasingly central to Ireland’s economy and investment in ‘cleantech’ research will be necessary to exploit the significant opportunities that exist in areas such as battery technology, like Limerick’s Charles Parson Initiative and smart grid applications such as Cool Power’s EMMA smart meter. The Lisbon Treaty highlights R&D collaboration through the new objective of “achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely and encouraging it to become more competitive, including in its industry” (Article 163, TFEU). This increased level of cooperation among European researchers, together with a commitment to the exchange of best practice, would help bolster the number of Irish “green collar” workers as new opportunities are created through green innovation and growth.
Of course innovations need protection so that the ensuing economic rewards can be reaped by innovators and researchers. Under Lisbon, Irish cleantech innovations receive greater protection through the creation of new European-wide intellectual property rights. This means that Irish entrepreneurs could apply for a single, centrally-enforceable European patent, rather than the current European patent that is only enforceable on a national level. The new patent would ensure that Irish cleantech innovation is properly rewarded and incentivised, thus securing vital investment.
The future of Ireland’s economic and environmental success lies in the green economy. The Lisbon Treaty supports and promotes the green economy and full employment (Article 3.3 TEU) and takes tangible steps to create green jobs in Ireland.
In short, if you want more Irish green-collar jobs, greater investment in green technologies and for Ireland to emerge as a world-leading green economy: Vote YES.
