This week COP27 and Just Oil protests are dominating the news, demonstrating the different ways people all over the world are trying to address the climate emergency. It is impossible to teach STEM without discussing what is happening in our climate, and while informative, it can be quite difficult for children to take in. According to a global survey conducted by Bath University in 2021, 60% of young people are ‘worried’ or ‘extremely worried’ about climate change.
To counter this anxiety, various scientific bodies across the UK have come together to run Green Careers Week from the 7th-12th November. The aim of this online event is to highlight to teachers, students and parents what a ‘green career’ encompasses:
Green Skills – A general term for the technical skills, knowledge, behaviours and capabilities needed to tackle the environmental challenges we face and to unlock new opportunities for growth
Green Jobs – Specialist roles that focus on improving environmental outcomes for an organisation or for the economy.
Green Economy – A potential future for the UK economy that is still focussed on growth, but factoring in people and the planet, not just profit.
The Green Careers Week website has some really great resources, and is well worth exploring! Here are some examples of what a ‘Green Career’ could look like:
Conservation Worker – practically involved in managing habitats – on land or sea – and making sure plants and animals are able to survive and thrive.
Ecologist – conducts surveys and analyses the data, identifying any potential issues and coming up with plans to prevent it.
Policy – working with world leaders and politicians to develop legislation to better protect the environment.
Media and Communication – representing conservation and environmental causes, and figuring out how to share information, as well as raising awareness in an engaging way.