Climate Change Learning

I've heard from thousands of green jobseekers that feel “stuck” in their journey to work on climate, with the four most common barriers being:  🤝 Lack of personal connections in the industry 🛠 Uncertainty on transferring skills 👷♀️ Lacking direct experience in the field 🔍 Challenges finding organizations or roles that align with interests   Last year, I hosted a mini-series of the Degrees Podcast called ‘The Year of the Climate Job.’ Each episode dissects these barriers and shares ways to overcome them. Here is the full series, along with key takeaways: 🤝 Lack of personal connections in the industry Episode: How to network for a green job with purpose-driven LinkedIn expert Nick Martin - https://lnkd.in/eNP6FJ9e Takeaways: - Browse the #OpenDoorClimate Directory to find climate professionals willing to connect and chat https://lnkd.in/gSf727gi - Use LinkedIn to build relationships with people you admire and contribute content yourself 🛠 Uncertainty on transferring skills Episode: Transfer your skills to a green job with Work on Climate’s Eugene Kirpichov - https://lnkd.in/ecjggq_V Takeaways: - Try to connect with people in jobs that you want to understand what skills they use day-to-day - Take stock of your own skills and remember that climate-focused companies need traditional skills 👷♀️ Lacking direct experience in the field Episode: Learn how to build your climate experience with Terra.do founder Anshuman Bapna - https://lnkd.in/e2tKYnTQ Takeaways: - Consider courses or certification programs that incorporate case studies or capstone projects - Try pitching yourself for freelance or project-based work or volunteerism 🔍 Challenges finding organizations or roles that align with interests Episode: Taking the mystery out of finding a green job with Green Jobs Board’s Kristy Drutman - https://lnkd.in/eZbJVPwJ Takeaways: - Pair skills with what you’re passionate about when searching general or climate job boards - Follow industry news and analysis hubs to learn about companies and potential roles 🤷♂️ Unsure how to use current job for climate action Episode: How to green any job with Project Drawdown’s Jamie Beck Alexander - https://lnkd.in/eMKVEFPN Takeaways: - Understand the leverage points of existing job functions have to take climate action - Organize with other interested coworkers to brainstorm and come together on issues and action I also recommend checking out the latest season of Degrees from Yesh Pavlik Slenk featuring some incredible guests, including Katharine Hayhoe, Solitaire Townsend, Drew Wilkinson and Shannon Houde,. https://lnkd.in/eba8GBdF

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞? 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭. I often get asked about how to build a career in climate. And while there’s no single path, there are some key things that can make the journey a whole lot easier. Here are my top five tips: 1️⃣ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Climate careers are vast—from policy to finance, tech to education, and beyond. Take time to figure out what genuinely excites you. Read, listen, talk to people. If you don’t know where to start, start everywhere—your curiosity will guide you. 2️⃣ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻. And no, that doesn’t just mean full-time jobs. Volunteering, side projects, networking, even engaging in online discussions can build your knowledge and credibility. The climate space values action. 3️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆. It’s easy to think another degree or certification is the answer. But before you invest time and money, be clear on where it will take you. Will it actually open doors or just feel like progress? 4️⃣ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻. A “Sustainability Manager” can mean wildly different things depending on the company. Look at job descriptions, not just titles. See what skills are really in demand. 5️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 (𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱) 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. Climate work can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Connect with people who share your interests, whether online or in person. Community = opportunities, support, and motivation when the work feels heavy. Building a career in climate isn’t about following a single path—it’s about carving your own. 🌍💡 What’s been the most helpful thing for you in navigating purpose-driven work? Let’s swap insights. 👇

Why is #ClimateEducation pivotal to combat our planetary crisis? Knowledge is power. We’re so fortunate to live in a time where data is abundant and technology is continuously evolving to provide increasingly accurate information and predictions about our environment. With the onset of the #AI age, reams of facts, figures and statistics are now just a click away, at our fingertips. However, we aren’t effectively using all the knowledge we have to drive real collective action for a better future. That’s where education comes in. I’ve always been a huge believer of the immense impact that education has on shaping our values, beliefs and attitudes needed for each and every one of us to be agents of positive change. Climate education matters because it helps us fully understand the scale and scope of our ecological crisis. While we already have widespread societal awareness of global warming, we haven’t yet made #ClimateLiteracy mainstream. From the science behind the causes of our climate crisis, to the importance of adaptation and related solutions—this education is the basis and motivation for us to take action. It helps foster the curious mindset that we need to solve our global problems. This is especially crucial for our younger generation, who are more environmentally-savvy than ever before. With #ecoanxiety on the rise, arming youths with the real scientific facts of climate change can eliminate the fear associated with the issue. As our children grow up in a rapidly changing world battling increasingly frequent extreme weather events, increasing climate literacy is key to maintaining optimism and cultivating ambition. It gives them their sense of #purpose—their ‘why’—to develop their own capacities and use the abundance of data we have to come up with new sustainable innovations. These innovations, along with existing tools we already have to future-proof our planet, will be crucial to transforming our current socioeconomic system into one that is nature-positive. If we are to reverse our pathway to destruction, we desperately need every bright mind and talent to be working together towards our global net-zero goal, in every industry and sector. Every year, Carbon Literacy Action Day spotlights the value of climate education. This year, #CLActionDay coincides with the UN #COP29 Climate Negotiations. On this day, all of us can get involved—no matter our age, background or nationality—to empower ourselves with the inspiration we need to use all the knowledge we have to drive impactful and tangible change for our Earth. What do you think is the most overlooked aspect in our knowledge and education on the climate crisis? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. COP29 Azerbaijan

Controversial take: Less people should quit their jobs to work on climate. Here’s why. Too many people feel they need to leave their day job and work specifically for a green company. ↪️ This creates silos: the incumbent companies bleed green-curious talent and loose the people who could push forward meaningful change from within. ↪️ On the other hand, the sustainability sector is already hyper-competitive and (sometimes) underpaid. We need to move away from the belief that “to make a change, I need to quit my job and go work for a climate company” and instead encourage people to ask “How can I be the green champion within my existing company?” And this starts with education. I believe we need university education that includes green skills as a baseline part of regular jobs. This could look like: 🛠️ Engineering courses that automatically discuss greener ways of building.  💸 Finance courses that acknowledge the impact of investments. 🎨 Design courses that prioritise circularity and low-impact materials. That’s why when a journalist recently asked me: “Where do you see the next wave of green ideas and leaders coming from?” My answer was: Everywhere! You shouldn’t have to change jobs to drive change in sustainability. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is lead from where you are. Thoughts? PS. I talk more about this in an article by BusinessGreen. If you’re curious, take a look: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dmJSZDwQ #Sustainability #Leadership #GreenSkills

How do we make climate communication resonate with the very people it affects the most? 💡 🌎 In my latest essay for Question of Cities, I reflect on this pressing question, drawing on my experience in journalism and storytelling, as well as research and fieldwork in the climate space over the last few years. The article outlines how dominant climate narratives often remain inaccessible, overly technical, and disconnected from everyday lived realities. Some key takeaways: 🔁 1. Translation isn’t enough—localisation matters. Efforts like the UNDP Climate Dictionary are welcome, but we need to go further. People don’t say “Jalvayu Parivartan”—they talk about rain delays, changing festivals, and crop failures. Climate terms must emerge from how people experience change, not how we define it. Climate must be framed as an everyday issue. For most people in India, climate change competes with daily concerns like food, housing, and livelihoods. 📚 2. Storytelling enables agency. We need to shift from policy briefs to bottom-up storytelling, where a fisherwoman in the Sundarbans or a tribal woman in Odisha becomes the knowledge holder. 🎭 3. Embrace diverse media and people’s science. From metaphor-rich language to theatre, dance, and music—creative formats hold emotional and cultural power. Even community-defined terms like “wet drought” offer nuance and should shape climate adaptation strategies. 📰4. Mainstream media must build capacity. At a recent workshop in Maharashtra, we saw how rural reporters struggle to differentiate between climate and weather. There’s little support for them—especially women—to cover these stories. Climate needs to be integrated into all beats, not confined to disaster or weather coverage. 🎯 5. Climate communications is not just outreach—it’s strategy. Too often, communication is underfunded and under-prioritised. But to build inclusive, impact-driven programmes, we must invest in grassroots media literacy, storyteller training, and long-term behavioural change campaigns. 🌏 In the coming years, we will witness a growing wave of efforts to communicate climate change in new and compelling ways as climate becomes centre stage in policy and mainstream narratives. But the real test of these approaches won’t lie in international recognition or polished campaigns. It will lie in how meaningfully they resonate on the ground—in how a coal worker in Jharkhand or a landless labourer in Maharashtra understands, imagines, and navigates a world that is 1.5 degrees C warmer. 🔗 Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/dGG8ZNZn A big thanks to Smruti Koppikar and Shobha Surin for trusting me with this piece. And of course, this would not be possible without Asar and all the fabulous work that I have got to be a part of in the last 3+ years! #ClimateCommunication #ClimateJustice

Want to break into climate? I’ve had over 200 career calls with climate job seekers within the past year. Here are the 4 most commonly asked questions and my best answers: ⭐ How can I get a head start in college?  • Focus your coursework and internships on an expertise/industry pair, like marketing and sustainable fashion, business and regenerative agriculture, or data science and energy. • If you can’t decide on a niche, build versatile skills like finance, engineering, design, and sales. These skills are needed across climate-focused organizations. • Most recommended internship board: EDICT Internship Program by Elemental Excelerator 💫 How can I switch to climate from another industry? • Opportunities can be found in solution-focused organizations (e.g., Pachama, Kevala), sustainability/CSR teams (e.g., Carhartt, Adobe), and governmental offices (e.g., NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)). • Many people try to overhaul their entire career. Instead, try changing only one variable at a time: seek a similar role in a new industry or a new role in a familiar industry (eg; marketing in fashion → marketing at a SaaS company like Recurate). • Mentorship, freelancing, and certificates can bridge the gap in industry experience. • Most recommended mentorship opportunities: Third Derivative and GrowthMentor ✨ How do I choose a niche?  • Standing out in climate requires being a near-perfect fit. Find the intersection of what you're good at, what you love, what you can be paid for, and what's needed across climate efforts. • Hop on career calls with folks across domains and industries to learn more about the day-to-day of their roles. • Most recommended starting points for market research: Climatebase, Work on Climate, CareerOneStop, and Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) 🌎 Do I need to join a program like Terra.do, Work on Climate, or OnePointFive (opf.degree)?  • These programs are helpful but not necessary. Free resources like coaching calls, videos, and podcasts can be valuable too. • Remember that “climate” isn’t really a standalone job! Consider how you can provide value to a climate-focused team and focus on building credibility in your desired solution sector (energy, agriculture, etc.). • Most recommended programs: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Reforge, and Stanford University's certificates. -- Interested in a free careers session? • Check out the Work on Climate Expert Office Hours list and the #OpenDoorClimate list, launched by Daniel Hill. Interested in breaking into climate as a marketer? • Here's a comprehensive guide I put together: https://lnkd.in/gUqyFh_b I did my best to keep this post short. If anybody has more they’d like to add for climate job seekers, please add it to the comments. Thank you! Illustration by @tatooine_girl

Who is most responsible for climate action? In our new paper in Communications Earth & Environment, we show across 39 African countries that those who have heard of climate change place primary responsibility for addressing #climate_change on their own #government, a further third see ordinary #citizens as most responsible, while very few place responsibility on historical #emitters. Education, decreased poverty, and access to new media sources are associated with increased attribution of responsibility to historical emitters. Concerning that for those with least #capacity to deal with #climate impacts, there is low expectation of any improvement on #responsiveness of their government. This is important because the #political salience of climate change themes among political parties and voters remains comparatively low in Africa. #Political actors and climate #governance stakeholders more broadly will need to pay greater attention to #climate_action as #citizens experience climate impacts, understand its consequences, and increasingly look to hold their representatives and governments to account. Yet citizens who have access to #resources and #information are associated with support for #climate_action broadly, the empowerment of everyday Africans to act, and the recognition that historic emitters should play a larger role in climate action. Interestingly, #state_professionalism is associated with citizens’ increased willingness to address climate change, their increased demand that the state also addresses the issue, as well as their willingness to hold the government accountable, all three are consistent with the #virtuous_cycle. In regions with high levels of state professionalism, respondents are more likely to say that ordinary citizens can do something to address climate change. So what are the implications? #Poverty alleviation and increased access to #education, combined with professional frontline #government bureaucracies can re-apportion citizen expectations of responsibility for climate action onto historical emitters and actors with more resources for scalable climate action. Future work is needed to identify the joint effects of #climate_change_literacy, the attribution of responsibility, and how the Africans evaluate the action of their governments and historical emitters in addressing or failing to address ongoing climate change and losses and damages escalate. What are the implications for political settlements & political parties, especially for opposition parties? Read the Open Access paper here: https://rdcu.be/egjbw Thanks for another excellent #climate_literacy collaboration: Talbot Andrews Matthias Krönke Andreas Schwarz Meyer Christopher Trisos Debra Roberts Climate Risk Lab African Climate & Development Initiative University of Cape Town Afrobarometer Cornell University University of Reading Nimrod Zalk Tim Kelsall Nature Portfolio

If you're applying for climate-related roles and not hearing back, this might help. As someone involved in sustainability and environmental work, I have seen so many qualified professionals get overlooked , not because they lack expertise, but because their resumes or LinkedIn profiles don’t include the exact keywords hiring teams are searching for in areas like climate action, nature-based solutions, or SDG implementation. Here’s why this matters. Recruiters often use Boolean search on platforms like LinkedIn or in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), inputting specific keywords from job descriptions to find the best fit. If your profile doesn’t reflect terms like “climate adaptation,” “ecosystem-based approaches,” “carbon footprint analysis,” or “sustainable development reporting”, you might not even appear , even if your work directly aligns with those goals. Here’s how to fix that: Step 1: Search for 3–5 roles in climate, sustainability, or international development that you’d be excited to apply for. Look at how they describe key responsibilities, frameworks, and tools , like: "Environmental data analysis" "Climate resilience strategies" "Nature-based solutions for urban planning" "UN SDG alignment reporting" Step 2: Write down the most common keywords you see , especially those related to: Climate science & adaptation Biodiversity conservation NbS project implementation ESG, CSR, or sustainability reporting Policy advocacy or multilateral negotiations Step 3: Integrate those terms naturally into your: Resume summary LinkedIn headline and About section Job experience bullets Skills or certifications section For example: Instead of: “Worked on environmental education programs” Say: “Led community-based climate education initiatives aligned with SDG 13 and SDG 4, promoting ecosystem awareness and local adaptation strategies.” 🧠 This isn’t about buzzwords. It’s about speaking the language of impact — and making sure the right people can see your value and commitment to climate action and sustainability. If you’re working at the intersection of climate change, NbS, and the SDGs, you’ve already got the substance. Let your resume and profile reflect that clearly.

🚨 New #OpenAccess Publication Alert! 🚨  📚 Resilient Education Systems: Adaptive Pedagogies for Navigating Uncertainty is now featured in Christakis, D. A., & Hale, L. (2025). Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development Springer Nature ✍️ Authored by Justin Reich, Cristóbal Cobo, Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Eric Klopfer, Anya Kamenetz and Torrey Trust, Ph.D. (2025), this chapter presents a transformative approach to education during crises, introducing the concept of pedagogies of adaptability. These instructional frameworks ensure that learning persists in the face of uncertainty by emphasizing flexibility, creativity, and community engagement [more about this article https://lnkd.in/edJAmi8H] Dynamic learning modalities are at the heart of this approach, enabling educators to seamlessly transition between in-person, online, and hybrid environments. This #adaptability minimizes disruptions and sustains student engagement, even under challenging circumstances. Another cornerstone is the empowerment of informal educators, such as caregivers and community members, who often step into teaching roles during emergencies. #FlexibleCurriculum design is a critical component, allowing #educators to adjust content and delivery based on available resources and the specific needs of learners. This modular approach ensures continuity, even when traditional classroom resources are unavailable. Additionally, the thoughtful #integration of #technology plays a crucial role in bridging gaps while addressing challenges such as #accessibility and #privacy. The focus is on using digital tools not as a replacement for traditional methods but as a complement that enhances the learning experience.  Finally, #pedagogies #of #adaptability prioritize student autonomy and collaboration, encouraging learners to take ownership of their education. Approaches such as project-based learning and peer mentoring help build resilience and foster a sense of agency among students, preparing them to navigate and thrive in uncertain conditions. It offers a #roadmap to #reimagine #education as a stabilizing force, ensuring continuity and equity in learning for all students.  #EducationInnovation #Resilience #AdaptivePedagogies #EquityInEducation #FutureReadyLearning 🌐✨  [🌟 Explore the full chapter and insights into adaptive education strategies in Dimitri Christakis and Lauren Haley, EdD (2025). The Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence (2025) offers a comprehensive examination of how digital media influences children's cognitive, physical, mental, and psychosocial development https://lnkd.in/ew5but6V ]

New WB report on the untapped potential of education in climate action: https://rb.gy/rx8pmi. Some key points: - Education is a powerful but UNDER-USED instrument for climate action. Channeling more climate funding to education could significantly boost climate mitigation and adaptation. - Schooling and learning, especially for the poorest, are at significant risk because of climate change. Education systems need to adapt for a changing climate. This report shows how countries can do this. - Climate action remains slow. Nearly 79 percent of youth across eight low- and middle-income countries believe their country is in a climate emergency.  - This is in part due to missing or misleading information, in three ways: there are Information gaps on climate awareness, especially among older people. There are information gaps on how to act for climate mitigation and adaptation, and still there is a lot of misinformation. This is great work by my colleagues Shwetlena Sabarwal Marla Spivack, Sergio Venegas Marin and Diego Ambasz. Young people are feeling the impacts. They are anxious, angry, and ready to act. This report shows how education itself could be our most powerful weapon against climate change. It reshapes behaviors, develops skills, and spurs innovation—everything we need to combat the greatest crisis facing humanity: https://rb.gy/rx8pmi