Defining “Green Jobs”

410,000 Brits work in low-carbon industries. Section 14 of the Climate Change Act 2008 compels the UK government to address climate change in all sectors by 2050. They revealed their strategy in October 2021. UK’s “Green Industrial Revolution” has eleven points. They want 250,000 green jobs by 2030 with £12 billion in government support and 3 times as much from the private sector.

Introduction

Green Jobs are defined differently by UK and worldwide organizations, but there is no official definition. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), “The word ‘green employment’ appears to have no unique precise meaning, hence this is a tough subject.” Many definitions are cited, and different definitions suit different needs. The ONS assesses green jobs using the two international definitions below, as the UK Government has not defined them. The UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA.UN), an international statistical standard for quantifying the environment-economy interaction, defines the “Environmental Goods and Services Sector” (EGSS) as:

“Economic sectors supplying commodities and services for environmental protection and natural resource conservation.”

A green job would be one in any of these sectors.

In its 2018 landmark report on green jobs, the ILO defines “green job” internationally. Green employment reduce energy and raw material use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and contamination, protect and restore ecosystems, and help businesses and communities adapt to climate change. Green jobs must also be decent. As with green occupations, “decent” has no single definition, but safe working conditions and adequate remuneration are generally included. The UK NGO Friends of the Earth defines green jobs more simply: “Green occupations are jobs that have a focus on either lowering carbon emissions, restoring ecosystems or achieving similar environmental improvements.”

What makes Green Jobs Important?

• Increasing productivity while using less resources.
• Reducing emissions and trash.
• Conservation and environmental repair.
• Fostering flexibility in response to climate change’s impacts.

Which occupations fall under the term “green jobs”?

These are some of the major industries contributing to the green economy and creating green jobs:

• Manufacturing.
• Technology.
• Alternative or Renewable Sources of Energy.
• Eco-friendly structures, etc.
• Eco-friendly shipping and logistics.
• Controlling Water Use.
• The Control and Reuse of Waste Products.
• Charity, advice, and instruction on environmental matters.
• Government Organizations
• Finance.
• Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and marine science.

WPI Economics, a consultancy specializing in economics, data analysis, and public policy, published a paper that provided concrete examples of green jobs in each major industry.

• Jobs in Management
• Construction Production managers and directors
• Directors and financial managers.
• Managers of residential and commercial properties.

• Work in the Professions
• Professionals in the fields of management and business analysis.
• Competent managers of business and financial projects.
• Members of the programming and software development communities.
• Analysts, architects, and designers working with information technology.
• Experts in electrical systems
• Professional land surveyors have a degree from an accredited institution.

• Scientific, technological, and academic careers
• Affiliates of the business sector who are not otherwise categorized
• Sales and marketing experts.
• Managers in sales, accounts, and business development.

• Skills-intensive jobs
• Professional Electrians and Wiremen.
• Experts in plumbing and HVAC systems.
• Those who work in gardens and landscaping.
• Mechanical and electrical experts who work on automobiles.

• Computerized office work, etc.
• Activities involving administration and secretarial work.
• Helping professions, recreation, and other service jobs.
• Jobs in sales and support services.

• Intermediate level of skill/beginner level of difficulty
• Technicians in the operation of processes, plants, and machinery.
• Activities of a simple nature.

Possible green occupations in the healthcare sector in the future, as envisioned by UK Medical Association on Climate Change, include:

• Health care decarbonization
• Experts in the field of sustainable medicine.
• Environmentally responsible caregivers.
• Sustainability Officers in Health Administration.
• Those in charge of the wellbeing of Earth and its inhabitants.
• Senior Executives Responsible for Sustainability.
• Economists working in the fields of health and the environment.
• Eco-friendly hospital construction project managers.
• Leaders in the fields of sustainability and health innovation.

• Healthcare in all policy makers, who must address the larger health determinants.
• Managerial connections with broader factors.
• Director of Environmentally Friendly Transportation.
• Eco-friendly food management expert.
• Healthy sustainable economy manager.
• Manager of Nature and Health.
• The health and climate financing sectors are frontrunners.
• Supervisors of Adaptation to Climate Change and Health Inequality.
• Nature partnership health connectors.
• Community organizers for therapeutic recreation
• Experts in rehabilitative gardening

Conclusion

As the interest in environmentally conscious professions continues to rise, an increasing number of businesses are putting more emphasis on the environmentally conscious components of the jobs they are promoting.