How to Reduce Youth Unemployment by Fighting Climate Change

The European Union, coming from a past with fossil fuel driven, environmentally harmful and monopolized energy supply, has the chance to envisage a future of a democratic, decentralized and climate-friendly energy system.

In order to implement a sustainable energy transition on EU level, there will be a large additional demand for skilled workers and clean-tech start up companies in the coming years. It is therefore essential to train young people in qualifications and skills that are required for this vast economic transformation for the European Union to become a global leader in green energy and fulfil its Paris commitments. This applies in particular to the countries and regions in Southern Europe, which on the one hand have huge solar and wind energy potential, and on the other hand face a great need to improve energy savings and energy efficiency in all areas. At the same time, these regions in particular are suffering from high rates of youth unemployment. Therefore, it is essential to increase synergies between EU youth policy programmes and initiatives as well as the formulation of the national energy and climate action plans for 2030. 

To what extent is qualified work in fields relevant to energy chance in South European regions needed in the near future? What are the prerequisites for developing training programmes in the field of energy and climate protection in these regions? Which specific activities could be helpful to give useful employment opportunities in the field of a sustainable energy transition and climate protection? To shed light on these burning questions, a team composed of the University of Cádiz (UCA), the Greek NGO ‘Wind of Renewals’ (WoR) and the Sekretariat für Zukunftsforschung (SFZ) Berlin carried out a feasibility study in the Greek region of Attica and in the Spanish province of Cadiz.

The expert lunch debate aims to present the findings of the study, in particular the proposals on how a climate-friendly energy transition could contribute to reduce youth unemployment, with a focus on Southern Europe. We will also discuss with EU policy-makers, experts and the interested public how the new EU multiannual financial framework could contribute to fill this gap, what kind of initiatives could be further developed at EU and national level, and how these initiatives could be adapted to a sustainable and just transition of coal dependent regions. 

Date       

Thursday, 7 March 2019

Time         

11:00 -    Registration
11:30 -    Presentation and panel discussion
13:00 -    Lunch buffet

Venue   

Press Club Brussels

Rue Froissart 95

1000 Brussels

Working language: English