What’s A ClimateTech Career?
A career in ClimateTech means being on the frontlines in the fight against climate change. Professionals from all sectors are wondering how they can apply their talents to an industry driven by such a large purpose. Luckily the burgeoning industry is growing at a rapid pace. Over the next three decades, tens of thousands of workers will need to meet the global goal of limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
What is ClimateTech?
ClimateTech encompasses several sectors that tackle carbon, ranging from the energy sector, buildings, and transportation to have industry, food, and land use. Every sector of the economy will need to transform, they will use ClimateTech to do so, meaning the industry is set for monumental levels of growth. With more countries, cities, and businesses committing to meet sustainability goals, demand for ClimateTech breakthroughs is creating a snowball effect of investment. ClimateTech funding over the past seven years has seen a staggering 3750% increase, according to research from PwC. More than $60 billion has been invested in ClimateTech in the past seven years creating a compounded growth rate of 84%, making ClimateTech one of the fast-growing global industries. Now more than 1,200 start-ups backed by venture capital funding are in the fight. Of ClimateTech startups, 43 are valued at over $1 billion. The good news, almost all of them are hiring.
Options
ClimateTech offers several different career paths based on your individual expertise. For anyone with an engineering background, environmental engineers are in high demand, expected to grow by 12% by 2024. Better yet, environmental engineers can earn an average of $84,000 salary with at least a bachelor’s degree. Civil engineers will be needed to build, operate and maintain physical assets, they earn slightly more than environmental engineers on average. Environmental science and protection technicians use technology to monitor the environment for pollution and climate change-related effects. Positions are expected to grow by 9% through 2024, well outpacing the national average. With just an associate’s degree, environmental technicians earn an average of $44,000 annually. Experts in technology will be needed in the renewable energy industry to install, modernize and maintain electrical grids.
Just the Beginning
The truth is, ClimateTech is just getting started. The Biden Administration has plans to create 10 million clean energy jobs through technology and infrastructure improvements. As the fight against climate change picks up steam, more work will need to be done. Dozens of job boards now exist for individuals interested in a career in ClimateTech or sustainability. LinkedIn has over 6,600 listings for climate change-related positions right now.
Hard Truths
We are in a war against climate change, the tech world is recruiting soldiers to fight and paying them well. As institutions and governments line up to do their part, jobs are being created to meet the threat head-on. A career in ClimateTech is more than rewarding. You can do your part to secure our future while building a career in one of the fastest growing sectors.
