The report, 'Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World', was commissioned and funded by the UN's Environment Programme (UNEP). It says the manufacture, installation and maintenance of solar panels should add 6.3 million jobs by 2030, while wind power should add more than two million jobs.

The report raised concerns for those involved in the manufacture of biofuels - fuels made from renewable sources such as plants or plant-derived material. 'Much of the employment on sugarcane and palm oil plantations in countries like Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia and Indonesia is marked by poor pay and dangerous working conditions,' it said. 'There is also concern that large-scale biofuels production might drive large numbers of people off their land in future years,' it said.