High economic costs may potentially result from climate change. More intense and frequent storms, droughts and floods may cause extensive damage to physical capital, for example due to rising sea levels and storm surges in heavily-populated coastal areas.
The current economic crisis has not weakened Europe's commitment to combatting climate change and promoting sustainable development. But there are concerns that the costs of Europe’s transition to a low-carbon economy will reduce job growth and that the European Union’s targets for reducing energy consumption conflict with its target for increasing employment.
Cedefop’s study Skills for a low-carbon Europe explores scenarios for achieving a sustainable and energy-efficient economy at the same time as employment growth.