Sound Future CIO Shares Current Status of Climate Change-Related Career Opportunities

Sustainability initiatives are becoming increasingly popular across U.S. companies. Advances in technology and environmental awareness have led to the evolution of environmentally focused occupations, dubbed “climate jobs.” Globally, the transition to sustainable energy is expected to lead to net job creation, despite climate-driven challenges such as heatstroke, and could result in a reduction in work hours of about 3.8% by 2030. In 2022, clean energy job creation outpaced overall job growth, with more than 4.2 million climate-related jobs recorded.

Green jobs offer a unique combination of challenge and fulfillment, making them an attractive employment route for many. Tackling climate change is not just about physical work; it’s about understanding the industry and picturing real, positive impact.

Professionals in these roles are often at the forefront of cutting-edge innovation, such as harnessing renewable energy and designing environmentally friendly processes. The challenge is navigating evolving regulations and technologies to deliver on the ambitious mission of creating a sustainable future.

Kelci Zile, Managing Director at EnVest, specializes in unleashing innovation through funding and implementing sustainability solutions. Additionally, she serves as Chief Innovation Officer at Sound Future, a non-profit organization leveraging the power of live events to test and scale climate solutions, and is a Venture Partner at SNØCAP.

Zile began her career leading sustainability for AWS Marketplace, served on the Amazon Sustainability Ambassadors Global Board, and co-led an internal education series across Amazon. As she grew in her career and gained experience in circular economy, supply chain emissions reduction, and nature-based solutions, she realized that sustainability is about more than just climate change. She helps companies move beyond greenwashing and take action.

“Greenwashing is the practice of using marketing tactics and simple things like the color green and positive language to trick viewers or buyers into thinking that the actions they’re taking, the products they’re buying, or the donations they’re making are contributing to global warming or reducing emissions,” Theile explained in a phone interview. “For example, you might see a water bottle covered in green leaves that says it’s recycled, but when you read the fine print you’ll see that it’s 5 percent recycled post-consumer plastic and 95 percent virgin plastic.”

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The green shift is another strategy that companies are joining. Large companies that lack a commitment to sustainability push the need for sustainability onto the consumer instead of themselves. A classic example is when a food company uses their packaging to encourage consumers to recycle their bottles. In contrast, the solution is to create a refillable program or make compostable bottles.

The idea that sustainability efforts are a consumer responsibility can also be seen in the live events sector, where Sound Future has launched its Restoration Programme to help artists and venues give back to their local communities in ways that help tackle climate change.

“A lot of fans feel bad about traveling,” commented Theile. “At the end of the day, everyone wants to enjoy these experiences. Travel is part of it, and there are emissions that come with it. A lot of live events try to make fans feel bad about that, but the reality is, we’re like, ‘Let’s not do the green shift, let’s reduce the actual emissions of the event, and build a recovery program that makes that tangible and easy, rather than doing something that will embarrass us.'”

The fashion industry is another area of ​​concern. In 2022, thredUP found that about 27 million new festival outfits will be purchased over that single festival season, and a third of them are expected to be worn only once. The World Economic Forum has identified the fashion industry as the third largest polluter, responsible for more than 10% of global emissions annually. By comparison, air travel is about 3%.

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It’s hard to change consumer mindsets when certain ways of doing things have been ingrained for generations. Look for volunteer positions with environmental organizations like Work on Climate, MCJ Collective, and Music Sustainability, or learn more about different areas in which you want to make a difference. Climate tech is another pillar for those looking to change careers and make an impact.

For those looking for traditional roles in the climate change field, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts rapid growth for occupations such as wind turbine service technicians and solar power installers. Some of the fastest-growing green jobs include:

Solar power system installer: This role involves assembling and maintaining solar energy systems. Wind turbine service technician: This worker maintains and repairs wind turbines. Hazardous materials removal worker: This worker manages the removal of hazardous waste. Environmental engineering technician: This role assists engineers with environmental protection activities.

Here are the top job sites where you can apply for climate change related jobs:

Climatebase: This site offers a large number of climate-related job listings across a range of sectors. Terra.do: Focused on a range of climate solutions, you can access over 45,000 positions from over 5,000 companies around the world. Climate Change Jobs: This platform highlights over 20,000 positions around the world, with an emphasis on sustainability and the role of climate action.

“For sustainability to take off, it needs to get better, faster and cheaper,” concludes Theil. “There’s an expression that says people think sustainability is like hot beer and cold showers, but nobody wants that. If we could turn that into cold beer cooled by renewable energy and long, beautiful hot showers that trap the sun and rain, people would support that, whether they care about saving the planet or not.”