As defined by the International Labour Organization, the UN agency which specialises in social justice and labour rights, green jobs are “decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency”. These include technical-scientific or organisational figures such as energy engineers with expertise in renewable energy, sustainability managers, risk managers, mobility managers, environmental law consultants and experts, or human resources managers with a focus on socio-environmental rights and gender equality, because can be no ecological transition without social justice. Climate scientists, forest guards, and then of course all the workers or designers involved in the construction of energy transition infrastructures such as solar panels or wind turbines are and will continue to be important.
In addition to these jobs, which can be considered directly responsible for the energy transition, there are new professions which have been created to meet the needs of a changing world. The same jobs which are considered to be traditional have inevitably been integrated for instance, there will be a growing need for agronomists and farmers, in order to make this sector more sustainable and less impactful, on the one hand, and to come to terms with a very complicated climate scenario, on the other; there are also some lesser-known professions such as forest therapy experts and guides who help people experience the benefits of contact with nature; and also tree climbers, professionals who specialise in caring for trees, who are able to climb them, as well as waste managers. Lastly, do not underestimate the role of the people involved in communicating the environmental emergency and possible solutions: science communicators, nature photographers, eco-trendsetters, green influencers, all important in their own way to raise awareness of these issues and the importance of having environmentally-friendly habits and lifestyles.
The ecological transition is, in fact, first and foremost a necessity to save biodiversity on the Planet, but it is also a resounding opportunity for economic, technological and social growth. Fortunately, those who still deny the current climate crisis are in a clear minority: few people have failed to embrace the paradigm shift needed for our manufacturing system and continue to maintain it with the formula: business as usual.
So, if it is true that the transition must be, as the term itself conveys, a transition, in order to allow the manufacturing system to adapt without too much of a shock, we must bear in mind that, in addition to allowing us to contrast the climate emergency, the transition will create socio-economic wealth and potentially a very large number of jobs. According to the McKinsey&Company report The net zero transition, what it would cost, what it could bring, released in January 2022, the ecological transition will lead to the creation of around 200 million new direct and indirect jobs and the simultaneous loss or redevelopment of 185 million jobs by 2050.
The balance will therefore be positive. Over the past decade, institutions, the entrepreneurial and business world have certainly changed their point of view and become aware of green issues. A general drive by companies towards widespread activism has generated awareness and at the same time expertise, leading to an increase in the number of new green jobs (a trend that is inevitably set to grow).
