By Jean-Philippe Desmartin, Head of the Responsible Investment Team
The previous quarter brought us the positive message of “cheaper, baby, cheaper!” in the context of COP 30, with renewable energies, particularly solar energy, becoming increasingly competitive with fossil fuels over the past 10 years, even without public subsidies. This dynamic is a key driver for the ongoing energy and environmental transition, with China providing a particularly illuminating example. It will be important to carefully read the environment/climate section of China's next five-year plan, which will be announced in March.
At the start of 2026, we would like to convey a second positive message: “Jobs, baby, jobs!” The transition underway is creating more and more sustainable and local jobs that are accessible to both skilled and unskilled workers, white-collar and blue-collar alike. The facts and figures, taken mainly from the IEA, in particular its latest report on employment in the energy sector (December 2025), the World Economic Forum, and REN21, are as follows:
— Employment in the renewable energy sector has doubled globally over the last 10 years and has exceeded the number of jobs in fossil fuels since 2020.
— This trend is strong in China, but also in other key areas such as Europe, the United States, Brazil, India, and Indonesia.
— This gap between jobs in renewable energy and fossil fuels will widen in the coming years globally, driven primarily by the solar sector (5 million jobs worldwide by the end of 2024), but also by energy efficiency.
— Employment in fossil fuels will grow slightly at best over the next 10 years, unlike jobs in renewable energies, which could double, with sectors boosted by the momentum of electrification (75% of energy job creation over the last 5 years).
— In the United States, the clean energy sector contributed to the creation of 100,000 jobs in 2024, representing 82% of jobs created in the US energy sector.
— The European Union plans to create 3.5 million jobs related to renewable energy by 2030, which poses challenges in terms of skills and training for certain professions under pressure, such as engineering, but also manual trades such as electricians, roofers, and welders.
In short, the good news is that renewable energies are not only contributing to the energy and environmental transition, but also to job creation and employment.
Enjoy your reading!
Summary:
• News: Electrification in Europe: issues, challenges, and prospects
• From an academic point of view: How can finance be used to support environmental transition? by Nicolas Treich, Patricia Crifo, Sebastien Pouget, Olivier Gossner, Milo Bianchi
• Company meetings: Focus on GEA Group
• Recommended reading: The growth story of the 21st century: the economics and opportunity of climate action
• The responsible investment team in action: Sustainable finance and disability