How to Make Your Career a Climate Career - Takeaways from Our Expert Q&A Event

EventsInsights
Written By Jessica Harrington

The urgent need to address the climate crisis is increasingly evident, with current events highlighting its impact on our lives on a near-daily basis. Last week, during our Climate Careers Virtual Q&A, many in attendance and their families were directly impacted by the smoke from the severe wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia, making the dangers of climate change effects real and immediate for millions of people on the U.S. East Coast. Our panel discussion brought together climate career experts to explore ways to make climate work more accessible. Watch the video to join the movement and help make the transition toward a mass climate-oriented workforce.

A few recurring themes and key takeaways from our event:

Making Climate Work Mainstream  

Eugene Kirpichov, Founder of Work on Climate, emphasized the importance of integrating climate education and training programs into schools and across industries. By preparing individuals for climate work, we can foster a workforce equipped to tackle the challenges ahead. Eugene asked the audience to imagine a world where  lessons on geospatial AI,monitoring forest restoration projects, and field trips to learn about net zero plans were standard in college-level business courses. “It would be a completely different game, and that’s what we need to make happen. We need a transition in the systems that shape the workforce.”

Overcoming Challenges for Job Seekers

Daniel Hill, Innovation Director at the Environmental Defense Fund, Founded the #OpenDoorClimate movement for those who have heard the calling for “all hands on deck” and are raising their hands to do the work. The #OpenDoorClimate movement started with a hashtag adopted by climate industry professionals declaring their willingness to meet with job seekers looking to find their place in climate work. 

“I think I’ve heard the phrase ‘I’m stuck’ just hundreds and hundreds of times,” Daniel shared during Redwood’s Q&A. He highlighted job seekers' four main challenges: a lack of personal connections, uncertainty in how to map existing skills to job openings, limited experience for new job positions, and difficulties in finding relevant organizations. Daniel pointed out that85% of job seekers land jobs through personal connections. Networking in the climate space can take you far. If you see anyone on LinkedIn in a role you’re interested in, reach out and ask to meet for an informational interview. To further bridge the gap between being interested in and landing a climate job, Daniel suggests pairing your skills with your interests, for example, “data analyst and solar energy,” stating that people often forget that their old roles and experience apply to the climate industry too.

Building a Diverse Climate Industry

While Daniel highlighted many challenges job seekers encounter in transitioning into this work, Kristy Drutman, Founder of Browngirl Green and Co-Founder of the Green Jobs Board, elaborated on these gaps in the industry. Kristy touched on the importance of racial awareness and what is needed to increase accessibility and build a truly diverse climate industry. 

“If we want to talk about getting people to work on climate, we have to talk about racism and micro-aggressions. It’s a big part of the work.”

We can’t create an accessible climate workforce and ultimately make wide-reaching change without discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Organizations must invest in diversity, provide training programs for racial awareness, and take action to address wage gaps, Kristy explained.

Kristy also discussed differences between older generations and the emerging young workforce. For example, she pointed out that younger generations don’t always adhere to hierarchy within organizations. The climate crisis and other social justice work is too important to be slowed by such precedents.

Empowering Younger Generations

Pooja Tilvawala, Founder of the Youth Climate Collaborative and CEO of Jaali, elaborated on the role of young people in climate action and provided advice to students and young professionals looking to build their climate careers. She suggested signing up for newsletters following climate professionals on LinkedIn and diving into climate-focused YouTube videos and podcasts. 

“You see somebody in a position that you want, right? And then you start looking at their journey on LinkedIn work history – you can also see what kind of clubs or activities or volunteer stuff did they do during their time.”

Further, Pooja suggested joining organizations and peer networks, which can help young people develop their climate careers and contribute to the movement. She referred audience members to several organizations and peer networks such as the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, the Climate Initiative, YOUNGO, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, all of which offer helpful resources and programs for young people to get involved. 

Everyone Has a Role in Climate

Josh Garrett, Redwood’s CEO, stressed the significance of communication in climate action. Encouraging discussions, educating others, and sharing passion within our circles of influence can make a difference. In fact, a 2022 study by Yale University found that 67% of Americans rarely or never talk about climate change and/or hear people they know talking about it. Meanwhile, only 32% of Americans hear about global warming in the media a few times a year, or less. Stepping up and communicating about climate change within your circle of influence makes an impact. 

During the Q&A, portion of the event, Josh mentioned that sometimes one of the most effective ways to communicate about climate change is to not emphasize the climate side of things. Sometimes it's more effective to talk about the social or economic benefits of climate solutions. To learn more about how to strategically talk about climate change and solutions, be sure to stay connected with Redwood! 

Join the Movement!

We stand at the forefront of a transformative mobilization to address the climate crisis. So, while finding your place in climate action may be challenging, the insights shared during the Climate Careers Q&A event offer valuable experiences and tips. Watch the event recap on Redwood's YouTube channel and join the ongoing conversation. Together, we can make climate education and action accessible to the masses and build a more sustainable future through meaningful work. 

Redwood is proud to contribute to the growing awareness about the climate crisis and the many good people working to address its challenges. Thank you to everyone who attended the live session and those who watched the replay; let’s stay connected and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn!

Here is list of resources we collected to continue to support you all following the event:

Speaker resources:

Attendee resources:

Opportunities for experience and growth:

Job boards and climate career organizations: 

Books:

Podcasts:

Jessica Harrington
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