Climate Jobs Are Not Coming. They Are Here Now!

Last week I Googled Climate jobs and was shocked by the thousands of job listings that poured onto my screen. Remember how Artificial Intelligence crept up on us and finally hit like a tsunami once ChatGPT was released? Well, the same thing is happening with climate jobs. We keep hearing climate jobs are coming but now, it is safe to say they have arrived and in big numbers. Just Google Climate jobs and be prepared for a shock.

In just the past few weeks, climate-related innovations have made global headlines. Virgin Airlines used biofuels in a transatlantic flight without a hitch. Tesla launched the Cybertruck with much fanfare.  Demonstrating a desire to avoid catastrophe and to prevent and mitigate the consequences of climate change, the corporate sector is innovating.

But the Earth is changing anyway. NASA continues to publish frightening data. Like it or not, the economy will have to adapt to the changing world. Adaptation is causing Innovation and the pace is rapid enough to cause ripples in the job market. 

Students should pay attention when choosing their fields of study. STEM is heating up…again. An understanding of climate and environmental science will surely help our future generation of workers but traditional educational subjects such as writing, statistics, data analytics, law and even ethics will all have a place. 

Renewable solar and wind energy industries, coupled with battery technology and electric vehicles, are just the beginning. Millions of jobs are estimated to flow from these emerging industries. 

Traditional and established industries will change and adapt, too.  At the ongoing United Nations Conference, the reduction of leaking methane is a major topic, likely to create changes in the dairy and oil industry. Air conditioning demands will keep the HVAC industry on high alert. Agriculture will find ways to protect the crops threatened by changing temperatures and altered cycles of drought and floods.

While corporations employ sustainability and climate officers, the job boards also show the important role of government in leading the innovation, adaptation and communication about climate change. 

Dozens of states now have climate laws that require reporting or disclosures, or even conditions on greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Department of Energy promotes climate careers, and hundreds of state and local jobs can be found on webpages from indeed.com to climatebase.org.

Sadly, disaster management might have a particularly important place in the marketplace. Preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from climate disasters may become a necessary part of every organization’s planning efforts.

In the title of her book discussing capitalism and climate change, Naomi Klein summed it up in three succinct words: “This Changes Everything.”  Climate change is real and now.  A few weeks ago, an article on these pages suggested that climate change jobs are coming.  A restatement is necessary.  Climate jobs are here. See for yourself!

Thanks to Keith Rizzardi, Professor of Law, Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern University, Florida for his continuing collaboration with the Executive Alliance Thought Leadership Team. Great stuff Professor!

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