Climate change is reshaping the employment landscape, whether you want a career that helps the planet or just want a job in a growing field.
Environmental and sustainability studies are booming in colleges, with Millennials especially wanting to work for companies that are making a difference. A survey of Gen Z and Millennial workers found more than 40% either have or plan to change jobs due to climate concerns.
Truth be told, in the coming decades every job will have a climate component, whether it’s financiers, doctors and nurses, farmers, accountants, sustainability officers or policymakers, said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
“It’s hard to imagine a field of employment that won’t need at least some expertise on climate change,” he said.
A job title doesn't need to include the words "green," "climate," "sustainable" or "environment" for the work to be important to efforts to both stop global warming and deal with its effects.
It also don't necessarily require a college degree. There are thousands of critical jobs that are learned by on-the-job or short-term training, said Stephanie Pincetl, a professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. “You don’t need to get a PhD in interdisciplinary studies.”
Here are some surprising fields that will be crucial to coping with global warming.
You can't electrify without electricians, and the United States is going to need about 80,000 new ones a year to meet its green energy goals, according to the Department of Labor. Electricians can install wiring for electric vehicles and heat pumps, set up systems for solar panels, and shift homes from natural gas to electric stoves and hot water heaters. Employment is projected to grow 7% at least through 2031. Electricians are typically trained either at technical schools or through paid apprenticeships and make on average $60,000.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians install what are becoming one of the signature appliances of the 21st century – heat pumps. These are heating and cooling systems that feature a compressor installed outdoors which transfers air into and out of a home, saving both money and energy. It acts as a heater in cold months and an air conditioner in hotter ones. So many people want heat pumps right now that the wait to get one installed can stretch months in some areas, and with government rebates kicking in the numbers are expected to skyrocket in coming years. People who work in this field either get on-the-job training or graduate from short-term HVAC training programs. The average annual salary for HVAC workers in 2022 was $54,000, according to the Department of Labor.
As periods of drought or intense rain increase and salt water intrusion affects coastal areas, farmers will need new crop varieties to maintain yields while coping with swiftly changing growing conditions. Plant scientists work to breed crops that are climate resilient to feed an ever-growing world population. Plant scientists have degrees in agricultural science, biology or chemistry, with more senior positions requiring master's or PhD studies. The average salary for plant scientists is $65,000, while people with graduate degrees can make more than $100,000.
In the coming years, tens of millions of homes will require retrofitting to make them more energy efficient even as we redesign our yards and driveways to deal with too much or too little water. “We can’t just keep slapping on more A/C, we need buildings that keep the cool air in,” said Pincetl. This is going to require an army of carpenters and plumbers. “We’re going to need more people going into the building trades. These are jobs that don’t require a college education, they require skill and craft,” she said.
One part of fighting climate change is making America's cities, towns and neighborhoods more walking- and biking-friendly — and easier to navigate with public transit, so people don't always have to drive simply to do the daily tasks of life. Traffic engineers help design roads and paths that are safe and easy-to-use as well as analyze where people need to go to better plan transit routes. These positions require a college degree in engineering and make on average $80,000 a year. Master's degree programs (often available part-time while working) focus specifically on transportation challenges. A related field, which requires only a two-year associate degree, is traffic technician. These people conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed and flows, and make on average $50,000.
As the climate warms and drought and insect infestations weaken forests, wildfires are an increasing problem. More firefighters are needed and jobs are plentiful. But there's a sub-specialty within firefighting that's part of efforts to slow the harm of forest fires – controlled burn experts. These are people trained to conduct what are known as prescribed fires, which clear out flammable undergrowth without harming mature trees, making forests more fire-resistant and restoring their ecosystems to health after almost a century of no-burn policies clogged them. The U.S. Forest Service has set a historic goal of treating up to 50 million acres of forest with mechanical thinning and prescribed fire. These workers typically begin in wildland firefighting and then undergo training to learn how to safely set and manage controlled burns. The positions can pay between $40,000 and $70,000 a year depending on the area and the level of experience.
Hydrologists study the movement of water and as the US faced increasing droughts and extreme rain events, creating systems to cope with too little or too much water and getting it where it's needed will be important. Most hydrologists have a bachelor's degree in either hydrology or geology and some jobs require graduate study. The median annual wage is around $85,000.
As droughts and excess rainfall increase, America’s lawns, gardens and public spaces will need to be redesigned to deal with the new realities. People will be needed who know the right plants for the right space, who can design drip irrigation systems and who can build landscape features that channel water to the right places. “A landscape transformation is coming and gardeners will be key,” said Pincetl.
Climate-linked weather disasters, from wildfires to floods to hurricanes to tornados, are increasing in frequency and damage. Already this year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 12 major weather disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each. Disaster relief workers provide on-the-ground help to people suffering in an emergency and range from Red Cross volunteers to highly-trained search and rescue teams. There are also training programs for emergency management and disaster preparedness coordination. Depending on experience, training and location, such coordinators can make between $60,00 and $85,000 a year.