Article correctly suggests that out understanding of “climate careers” will expand (although perhaps over-emphasizes the role of “young people”):
There was a time when a company’s commitment to do better—in regards to the climate, to the people it employs, to the communities it relies upon—could have been encapsulated into one job description: Corporate Social Responsibility. For some companies, it meant pledging to abide by certain environmental regulations, while others might have made one-off donations to charities working on the frontlines of climate change. Now, as global temperatures break new records and sea levels continue to rise at alarming rates, that’s no longer enough. Our times demand much more from their workforce.
The good news is that a new generation of talent is entering the job market ready for the challenge. And unlike many of their predecessors, these young professionals are increasingly committing their lives to finding innovative solutions to the many challenges created by the climate crisis. The data doesn’t lie: 64% of undergraduate students are “very interested” in learning about sustainability on-campus, according to a 2020 University of Southern California survey. And of them, 33% said they participate in sustainable practices on a “daily” basis. It’s a determination that’s affecting the future of historic academic institutions, too. Stanford, for example, recently received a $1.1 billion donation from venture capitalist John Doerr to develop the John Doerr School of Sustainability, a specialized school dedicated to combating climate change, while institutions like Columbia and Harvard have identified environmental research and teaching as a priority in the short-term. Without the appropriate resources, little progress can be made. Read the full article on Atmos.