A push to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 will require more than increasing our ambition around green infrastructure and green financing. It will require a workforce that has the appropriate skills capable of delivering on the clean energy transition.  The path forward will require an ongoing dialogue with workers and communities affected by the transition to a low carbon future. It will also require working with historically disadvantaged communities to avoid perpetuating instances of environmental and structural racism. The energy transition needs be inclusive by design – creating spaces for marginalized and vulnerable individuals to shape the vision for a clean energy future. These discussions will shape how industry and government respond to the needs of workers and communities, and how we work together to achieve a just and equitable transition – improving access to the tools for success, including opportunities for training and reskilling to empower everyone to succeed.

In 2021, Canada, the U.S. and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion) launched a new Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) initiative entitled “Empowering People: Advancing Skills and Inclusivity for a Just Clean Energy Transition”. This initiative seeks to highlight the socio-economic elements of the energy transition that relate to empowering people and promoting just and equitable transitions:  skills, inclusivity and workforce development. This is an area of work that is currently not being adequately addressed by the technology-oriented nature of many CEM initiatives and campaigns. Building a diverse and inclusive workforce of tomorrow is critical to accelerating the push to a carbon neutral future – one that leaves no one behind.