Are you a part of the green or climate workforce?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”

Charles Dickens (1859), A Tale of Two Cities.

Whether the 21^st century turns out to be the best or the worst of times will depend very much on how we address climate change. The goal is to transition to a sustainable, carbon neutral, climate-resilient society by the middle of this century. If this is to happen, what would the workforce look like that will take us there?

The answer to this question might be found in the recent trend towards the creation of green jobs. This is where an increasing proportion of the workforce is being employed to provide products or services that reduce the damage being done to the environment while also providing economic and social benefits. Think of the opportunities that have been created installing solar panels on houses, constructing wind farms in rural areas, building electric vehicles, revegetating degraded land, or upgrading urban infrastructure. Take, for example, the city council that hires a local firm to increase the greenspace in its urban areas, a project that provides a carbon sink to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, helps to cool the city during heatwaves, improves air quality, and provides extra recreational areas which improve public health.

So where will the opportunities be for what might be called 'climate jobs'? In terms of employers: governments, businesses, and community organisations will all need to hire or retrain staff to assist in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. This would require changing to low emission energy and transport options, as well as building the resilience of their workforce, built assets, and investments. In terms of professions, almost every field of expertise will be needed: from scientists and engineers, to health workers, educators, managers, economists, and lawyers, to name just a few.  Students currently training for these professions are often able to take climate change courses as part of their degrees, and graduates can retrain to gain the necessary skills and knowledge.

While the transition involves a broad range of sectors and professions, there are two key activities that will be crucial: policymaking and planning. National, state, and local governments are some of the biggest employers of policymakers and planners, but there are also opportunities in the business and community sectors. Policies and plans are the way organisations respond to issues such as climate change. They are created by a cyclical process that involves thinking, doing, and checking. These processes identify and analyse issues, consult key stakeholders, develop and implement responses, and evaluate how the policy or plan has fared. This last step often reveals a new set of issues to be addressed and starts the cycle again. The process will obviously be managed by key professions, such as graduates trained in public policy, political science, law, or urban and environmental planning, but they also require the engagement of experts in many other fields. What brings them together is the ‘green’ or ‘climate’ dimension of their work.

The good news is that this workforce is already out there, and their numbers are growing. The practical solutions to climate change are available, many of which are now starting to be deployed. We have all the technology needed to transition to a low emission economy, and some firms are well down the cleaner production path. We have a good understanding of the impacts of climate change and what can be done, so some cities have begun to build their urban resilience as well as reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Many community organisations have already created the social networks that help residents cope with climate related events, such as floods and bushfires. Further, we can afford to make this transition, and the costs of change are often outweighed by the benefits that they produce.

To sum up, climate change poses a profound set of challenges, but well-designed responses can take advantage of the opportunities it creates to transition to a more sustainable, carbon neutral, resilient society.  This will require training a broad range of professionals to work as the agents of change within all sectors of society. Although these are immense challenges, the growing numbers of green and climate workers is cause for optimism and the transition has already begun.

Further Reading

Dedekorkut-Howes, A., E. Torabi & M. Howes. 2021. “You need all 6 pieces of the puzzle to build urban resilience, but too often it’s politics that leaves a gap.“ The Conversation (February 22): https://theconversation.com/you-need-all-6-pieces-of-the-puzzle-to-build-urban-resilience-but-too-often-its-politics-that-leaves-a-gap-152621

Howes, M. 2017. “Joining the Dots: Sustainability, Climate Change and ecological modernisation.” In M. Hosain, R. Hales & T. Sarker (eds). Pathways to Sustainability: Bridging the Gap between Paris Climate Change Commitments and Net Zero Emissions. Springer: Switzerland, Chapter 2, pp. 15-24: https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/380416

Howes, M. 2010. “Green-Collar Jobs.” In N. Cohen & P. Robbins (eds). Green Business. Sage: California, pp. 288-92: https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/38025

Torabi, E., A.  Dedekorkut-Howes, M. Howes. 2021. “A Framework for Using the Concept of Urban Resilience in Responding to Climate-Related Disasters.” Urban Research & Practice: https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/401500

Dr Michael Howes is an Associate Professor in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University. He is also an adaptation science researcher with the Cities Research Institute and is the Program Director for the Graduate Certificate and Master of Climate Change Adaptation. Michael’s work explores how governments try to make society more sustainable and resilient, with specific projects on climate change, sustainable development, water management, environment protection, public environmental reporting, and ecological modernisation. Before becoming an academic Michael worked for several years as an industrial chemist and technical manager in the manufacturing sector. He has also been a member of the Queensland Conservation Council board and chaired a Technical Advisory Panel for the Australian Government’s National Pollutant Inventory.

Michael is the convenor of the Griffith Professional course,  Policymaking and  Planning for Climate Change

Visit Michael's Griffith Experts page here