The recent economic downturn has given policymakers an opportunity to take a second look at their growth strategies, and many have concluded not only that serious structural change to a low carbon economy is necessary, but that the time to make the investment has arrived.

Research by the ILO suggests why governments in recession are starting to take the environment so seriously: the global market value for environmental products and services will double to US$ 2.74 trillion by 2020, there are 2.3 million new jobs already in renewable energy, and clean technology is the third largest sector for venture capital in the U.S.

So where does India fit in this picture? Actually, it is front and centre. The UK Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has identified India as the Third Largest Market in Low‐Carbon and Green Goods & Services, with a 6% share of the $5 trillion global market. According to HSBC, this means that green technologies and industries in India will attract spending in the region of $150 billion (Rs 760,000 crore) between 2008 and 2017.

A high propensity to substitute capital for labour in the Indian economy also makes it likely that these investments will translate into relatively high numbers of green jobs. For instance, the ILO has predicted that India can generate 9 lakh jobs in the biogas industry, 6 lakh of these in processing areas such as making pellets and the fuel supply chain. At the same time, the green economy will include an increasing number of high value jobs. The Economic Times has reported on employment trends in the US and the UK, where there is data that suggests green jobs pay up to 20% more than other jobs. This is largely because sustainability is becoming more engrained in business practice, creating roles that are attracting top level professionals.

Rapidly evolving job opportunities demand skill sets in environmental sustainability, and traditional jobs need to be re‐imagined to support the emerging Green economy. Thus improvements in human capital will have to take place if India is to meet the growth in demand for green services. The primary objective of this Green Jobs Fair is to encourage students to make the educational and training choices that will prepare them for participating in green growth sectors, and to encourage our universities to support them by providing the right training.

The Green Jobs Fair will kickstart a national movement to promote awareness and action for supporting a Green economic revolution. It is being promoted by The Climate Project‐India and the Sierra Club, who will be joined by a coalition of partners representing a spectrum of civil society organisations and businesses.