Green Jobs for Peace

Written by Caroline / 03 April 2009 / Read Caroline's latest blog entries.

I am sitting in yet another climate conference, speaking about the exciting climate solutions being developed in the lighting industry in India, but the most revolutionary conversation I have had is with a gentleman from Nagaland - a small Northeastern state of India home to 15 different tribes - who is working with young people in that state filled with unrest to find employment solutions. He attests that the major problem facing Nagaland and causing the violent tribal interactions taking place is that there are thousands of unemployed young people who are very highly educated. He says, "Educated unemployment is the major cause of political and social unrest. It is the highly educated unemployed who are the most dangerous." These people are frustruated by the lack of opportunity within their borders. Those who can, leave their state behind. Those who stay, increase their dissatisfaction.

Inspired by many of the climate solutions I have shown him, gathered on the tour, he is creating teams of educated "technocrats" to implement and replicate some of these small scale industries, from biogas installation to energy auditing to crafts like the bags made from recycled plastic bags. In our short conversation, it is clear that solutions to climate change that create employment can truly be solutions to conflict.