Every career is a green career
Advice for today’s teenagers | April 2025 | Oxford Earth Academy
1. The economy and jobs are changing in response to our climate and biodiversity challenges.
2. Environmental issues are being addressed through ALL careers.
3. YOUR own interests and skills, whatever they are, can help create a better future.
The key “soft skills” that everyone needs are
· listening and communication
· understanding other people and working together
· appreciating how everything is connected (systems thinking)
· understanding the basics of how knowledge is created through logical (scientific) methods
· keeping up to date with the relevant environmental issues as your career interests evolve.
THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS THE ECONOMY e.g.
Tropical crops such as coffee and chocolate are affected by climate change, and therefore the prices are going up.
Fruit and grain crops around the world are being affected by increasing disease load, and more challenging growing conditions due to climate change.
Lack of snow is killing the skiing industry. Flights are experiencing more turbulence.
Insurance costs are rising to cover extreme weather and losses.
New businesses are springing up to address environmental issues such as plastic waste, energy consumption and toxic pollution.
“The UK job market is embracing sustainability like never before. According to PwC's Green Jobs Barometer, which measures the success of the UK's regions and industries in creating green jobs, the number of sustainable jobs advertised has almost tripled in 2024.
And it's not just companies driving this trend, but also employees accelerating the green transition. The World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs Report 2023 reveals that just over a quarter of adults consider sustainability a non-negotiable when looking for a job. This represents a major shift in the priorities of the workforce, with employees increasingly seeking roles that contribute positively to the planet.”
From: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/the-topic/going-green-getting-hired-a-guide-to-sustainable-careers
“In 2024, LinkedIn reported that, “By 2050, there will be twice as many jobs requiring green skills as people qualified to fill them if today’s trends continue…. Job seekers with green skills or titles see a 54.6% higher hiring rate than the workforce overall.”
In addition, according to a report by Hays, leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment: “Overall, a third of employers (33%) said they expect the need for sustainability specialists and green skills to increase over the next 12 months.” Furthermore, they state that “97% of those hiring sustainability professionals have experienced skills shortages in the last year.”
According to a 2024 report from the Climate Coaches stated that “Only 8% of sustainability professionals now consider technical skills more important than soft skills”.”
From: the Green Careers Hub of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment