Abstract
The need for social protection systems will increase as temperatures increase, precipitation patterns change and natural disasters become more common and intense. Unemployment protection schemes need to cover all workers and support those who lose their jobs in the shift to an environmentally sustainable economy. Cash transfer programmes help people cope with environmental events. Public employment programmes can combine economic, social and environmental objectives to support adaptation to and mitigation of environmental degradation. Payment for ecosystem services can also target environmental and social objectives. Extending social protection and green investment leads to positive economic and social outcomes.