Digital innovations are rapidly transforming economies and societies through artificial intelligence (AI) for advancements in education, government and public delivery systems, healthcare, clean energy and IT. Global internet users grew by 5.4 billion in 2023 and 23% of global industrial and non-industrial jobs are estimated to rely on digital technologies. While previous G20 presidencies recognised the increasing role of governance in tech entrepreneurship, digital connectivity and digital public infrastructure, they undermined concurrent climate action efforts by ignoring the negative spillovers from unintended environmental costs in the form of carbon footprint.

The global climate transitions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and COP frameworks see both continuity and challenges. At this juncture of the ‘twin transition’, G20 offers a unique opportunity to address the interconnectedness of digital skills with climate (just) transitions, further developing green digital skills that synergise the benefits of digital progress with climate-neutral responsibility.

Why are green digital skills needed? 

G20 countries face a paradox of opportunities and challenges when it comes to digital and climate transition efforts. In developing economies, especially countries in the AU, a growing middle class and youth bulge underline the need for affordable local innovation. Yet, these changes come with negative SDG spillovers, ranging from unemployment and inequalities to gender imbalances. Despite digital gender gaps, the youthful Gen Zs are more than twice as likely to rely on the digital economy for their livelihoods, using platform apps and smart-AI assistants (ChatGPT, DeepSeek). These tools consume a lot of energy, leading technology companies to backtrack on their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Cloud computing – central to AI and digital platforms – has also become one of the largest consumers of water, particularly for cooling massive server farms. In response, ‘big tech’ companies are increasingly outsourcing data storage and cloud infrastructure to the Global South, where regulatory checks, labour and operational costs may be low.

 This trend raises new concerns: while it may support local digital infrastructure and job creation, it can also externalise the environmental costs of depleting water and energy resources in regions that are already challenged with structural inequalities and climate vulnerability. At the same time, developed economies are relying on skilled labour to scale digital solutions and modernise workforces. Therefore, building green digital skills becomes a matter not just of digital fluency but also of equipping populations with the capacity to manage, regulate and innovate around the ecological impacts of digital expansion.

Thus, keeping these growing paradoxes at the centre, the importance of developing green digital skills becomes even more relevant for the South African G20 presidency’s priority areas of AI, data governance and innovation for sustainable development. The G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting in 2023 provided a roadmap for assessing digital literacy and proposed inclusive strategies for re-skilling in digital skilling. By integrating green digital skills into education systems and industrial training programmes, and optimising generative technology use, the G20 can lead global governance, as digital transformation and sustainability may go hand-in-hand.

Green digital skills toolkit: A practical solution

Adopting a multi-pronged approach, the ‘green digital skills toolkit’ will serve as a comprehensive guide to equipping individuals, sectors and regions with the requisite skills to use digital technologies sustainably.

Integrating green digital skills into education and training: Aligning with the G20’s goal to make digitalisation inclusive, the toolkit recommends fostering green digital skills (SDG 9) by integrating them into education (SDG 4) curricula, corporate training and vocational education systems. Through knowledge collaboration between IT–corporate research groups, education practitioners, SDG experts and policymakers, a unified framework for green digital skills can be developed to inform the future workforce and help standardise skill-driven market practices for both the developed and emerging economies.

As the deadline for achieving Agenda 2030 approaches, one actionable example is the INCO Academy Green Digital Certificate programme, which empowers individuals looking for a competitive edge or entrepreneurs aiming to create a sustainable digital ecosystem. Micro partnerships like Kenya’s Jitume Digital Skills Lab through its public–private partnership model has integrated ICT infrastructure with a green digital skills curriculum. Co-creating remote workstations for young eco-conscious entrepreneurs from under-represented communities, the Jitume Lab has been bridging socio-economic gaps affecting formal vocational education and real-world applications in green digital jobs. Similarly, within the Swiss dual education system students have been receiving classroom instruction in hospitality schools and applying their knowledge through the eco-certified operations of Switzerland’s Lab Hotel. Such micro partnerships have not only reinforced national commitments to green transition goals but also used policy spaces to integrate green digital skills training at the intersection of national education policy, private sector innovation and sustainable development goals. These partnerships offer scalable models for workforce readiness in the green digital economy.