The OECD analyses fast-changing global and regional development trends, to help countries of all income levels design innovative policies that meet their needs and improve their populations’ lives.
Between 2019 and 2022, around 400,000 clean energy jobs were created on the African continent, while around 200,000 jobs in fossil fuels disappeared. By 2030, the green transition could create over 9 million jobs and another 3 million by 2050.
African countries need new, green skills to progress on climate adaptation and mitigation and shift to clean energy, industry and construction. This requires policies that improve access to, and the quality of, skills development.
The countries of Emerging Asia are affected by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, landslides, droughts and forest fires.
Beyond their devastating immediate effects, such disasters prevent the region from achieving sustainable development. The OECD helps policy makers identify the measures and initiatives that can help the region reduce disaster risks and improve resilience.
The Caribbean contributes little to climate change, but is highly vulnerable to its impacts. The region must build resilience through ambitious adaptation measures, resilient infrastructure, and strong early warning systems. At the same time, its rich biodiversity and natural endowments can drive new activities in renewable energy, sustainable tourism and transport, and the blue and circular economy. The OECD provides policy guidance to help Caribbean countries mobilise climate finance and strengthen climate change resilience.
Climate-related extreme weather events in the Caribbean increased by 85% in 2001-20 compared to 1980-2000. Natural disasters cost an annual average of 2.13% of regional GDP from 1980 to 2020. Caribbean countries tend to be more exposed, and have less adaptive capacity to respond to climate hazards. The region is also particularly vulnerable to biodiversity loss, as many of its economic drivers, such as tourism, agriculture and mineral extraction, are linked to natural resources and the quality of ecosystems. The effects of global warming are also accentuating forced migration trends: environmental disasters caused 5.3 million new internal displacements in the region between 2012 and 2022.
Over the period 2018-23, EUR 510 million of annual public support in the Western Balkans went to fossil fuels, compared to EUR 121 million annually that went to renewable energy. In addition, below-market electricity prices provided the equivalent of EUR 1.8 billion annually to consumers of fossil fuels, compared to EUR 1.3 billion annually to consumers of renewable energy. This support has kept energy prices down, limiting the scope for competition in energy markets. Allowing prices to reflect market conditions would help support the development of new renewable energy options.
