A recent Department of Energy report shows that clean energy jobs grew at more than double the rate of overall employment in the U.S. growing  by 4.2% and signaling that green jobs aren’t just expanding—they’re outpacing almost every other field.

While some people may seem skeptical about the explosion in so-called ‘green’ jobs, numbers don’t lie. Data from LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Green Jobs Report reveals that Americans with sustainability-related skills enjoyed a hiring rate more than 80% higher than those of the average worker, hiring in solar energy is almost twice as much as fossil fuels, and hiring in wind energy is 42% higher.

Considering the growth of green jobs, are we not embracing the clean energy economy?

None of this should be a surprise — as our climate changes, the global economy is changing with it.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) counted a record 16.2 million green jobs in 2023, up from 13.7 million the previous year, reflecting an unprecedented 18% annual rise. China dominates the global landscape, responsible for nearly 7.4 million green jobs — 46% of the world’s total — while nations like the European Union, Brazil, and India are also seeing surges, specifically in solar, wind, and hydropower employment. These figures underscore the scale and speed of the green transition reshaping workforces across the world. 

Here are just 6 of the many new green jobs being created. 

1. Teachers 

Teachers are one of the most important professions in society. Everyone is familiar with what they do, but you might be surprised to learn that even teaching is a green job. Green jobs need students and graduates who have undergone climate education, and teachers are the ones who provide that education.

Teachers can also help build green muscle memory in their students. That means helping their students to learn about the environment so that caring for it becomes second nature to them. So that they make green decisions, whether buying sustainable clothing brands, driving EV’s or saying “no” to plastics. 

For teachers who are interested in teaching their students about the importance of our climate, EARTHDAY.ORG has tons of free educational resources, written and designed by former educators. Our own report Climate-Education-vs-The-Climate-Crisis is a great way to find out why classrooms are so critical in creating a new skilled climate savvy workforce. 

2. Meteorologist

When someone says the word “meteorologist,” you might immediately picture a television  weather forecaster, but most meteorologists work less visibly. Whether in science, research, data collection or something else, there are many career paths for meteorologists. 

Meteorologists are among the most trusted authorities on climate change. As climate-fueled weather disasters get worse, we need meteorologists to tell us when danger is coming. To know what to do when disaster hits, though, we need another group of people: emergency managers.

You will need a Bachelor’s degree in a related field but the effort will pay off as these jobs earn around $80,000 per year on average.

3. Nursing

Nurses are moving to the forefront of the green workforce as climate change accelerates health emergencies worldwide. 

Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is projected to cause an additional 250,000 deaths each year globally from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress, challenges that nurses will increasingly address through direct care, prevention, and public health education. 

That’s not all. Nurses must also confront climate-enhanced illnesses like dengue and malaria that are spreading into new regions as higher temperatures expand the range of disease-carrying mosquitoes. This could expose an extra 500 million people worldwide to these threats by 2050. Plus floods, wildfires, and hurricanes — all of which are becoming more frequent and severe — means our health care workers are facing new challenges. 

Nurses are in big demand. The US alone has a shortfall of around  78,610 full-time equivalent (FTE) registered nurses (RNs). The cumulative deficit could exceed 500,000 nurses by 2030, supported by official data primarily from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

4. Solar Panel Installer

Fossil fuels like oil and gas emit about 37.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, harming the planet and human health as a result. Solar energy is a viable and practical alternative to planet destroying carbon based energy. 

Solar energy emits only 5-10% as much carbon dioxide as fossil fuels, making it much better for the environment. For clarity solar panels themselves do not emit carbon dioxide but emissions occur during the entire lifecycle of a solar panel, primarily in the manufacturing process. This includes raw material extraction, refining of silicon (which requires high heat and energy), manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal or recycling. 

Solar energy has rapidly evolved into one of the most cost-effective clean energy sources available today. Advances in photovoltaic technology, such as multijunction solar cells, have the potential to boost solar panel efficiency by up to 70% compared to traditional panels, significantly increasing energy output. At the same time solar system prices have fallen by about 70% over the past decade alone, with further reductions of up to 60% expected as adoption grows and manufacturing scales up. Residential solar panels pay for themselves in 7 to 10 years through energy bill savings.  

Solar panel installers — or, if you want to get technical, solar photovoltaic (PV) installers — do just what you’d expect. They install solar panels on buildings and land. This is much more complicated than it might sound: they have to take precise measurements, ensure that solar panels will work in that location, and work with complex wiring and electrical systems. Most of their work is done outdoors.

Still, despite their multifaceted work, there are many ways to become certified as a solar installer. You could become qualified through an online course or through on-the-job training like an apprenticeship or internship. And with a median hourly wage of just under $25, middle-earning PV installers make $51,860 per year.

5. Renewable Energy Technician

Just as solar energy is an increasingly viable source of energy, so are many other kinds of renewable energy, including wind and geothermal. In fact, renewable energy catalyzes job growth: it could create 14 million global jobs by 2030.

PV installers are just a part of the larger category of renewable energy technician. Like PV installers, these positions often involve assessment, installation, and maintenance of renewable energy systems, but they can involve any kind of renewable energy, from wind to hydroelectric to geothermal. Because of the many different kinds of renewable energy, this job type can have various responsibilities based on the specialization. Wind turbine technicians, for example, must often work at heights to access critical components of the turbines.

Work experience is often prioritized, meaning that a high school diploma is often sufficient for one of these jobs. Still, a 2 year degree or certificate in a field related to renewables can make you a much more attractive candidate. Pay will vary depending on one’s specialty. Median wind turbine technicians, for example, earn about $30 per hour, or $62,580 annually.

6. Emergency Manager

With recent tragedies like the flood in Texas, many are realizing the importance of having systems in place to mitigate harm when extreme weather events happens. Emergency managers, disaster relief coordinators, and emergency preparedness coordinators all work to save people and reduce damage.

Emergency managers usually work for the local, state, or federal government. People in these positions create plans, assess readiness, and coordinate resources for when disaster strikes. This job also usually involves applying for financial and technical resources from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, although new restrictions are hampering FEMA’s ability to help.

These jobs generally require bachelor’s degrees. Pay can range widely depending on location and position, but it follows a similar range to meteorology: from $30,000 to $110,000.

Join the Green Reality

These are just a handful of the green jobs which will continue to increase in prevalence as the climate and our economy changes. All of them are vital. 

But how can we, as individuals, help to ensure that everyone is ready for these changes? For one thing, we can make sure that we are all informed about what climate education entails. More actively, everyone can sign EARTHDAY.ORG’s petition for all countries to commit to climate education.

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August is National Water Quality Month, established to emphasize the importance of water for humanity, ecology, and economy. It is a great time to appreciate and take stock of our clean water resources. With climate change and human overuse triggering more frequent droughts, water is becoming an even more precious commodity, and researchers are being forced to find solutions in unusual places. So, could the answer to our water needs be running through our sewers?  

The Solution in Our Sewage

Some regions are being hit harder than others. Since the year 2000, the Southwestern United States has been experiencing a megadrought: over two decades of high intensity drought. Its severity rivals the most severe droughts of the late 1500s. Exacerbated by climate change, this drought is considered the worst the region has faced in over a thousand years. 

Water levels in rivers and lakes are dropping due to a combination of intensely dry weather and continued human overuse of the water that remains. Towns and cities in the region are scrambling for a solution.

Enter wastewater reclamation: the process of cleaning and reusing water which has already been used — be it from our kitchen sinks or even our toilets! 

Several countries already use wastewater. Facilities like the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Namibia and Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore have been hugely successful in using advanced water treatment technologies to transform wastewater into high-quality, safe water. 

The US could benefit from following their example. Southwestern cities across California, Arizona, and Nevada, are already viewing wastewater reclamation as a solution to their water needs. Expanding wastewater reclamation efforts to wider areas could be massively beneficial for climate resilience.

Let’s take a deeper dive into three global cities that showcase the ingenuity of wastewater reclamation.

Windhoek, Namibia, Africa

Namibia is no stranger to water scarcity. As one of the driest countries south of the Sahara, it has long sought ways to increase and make the most of its limited water supply. In 1968, it opened the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP) in its capital city, Windhoek. 

Goreangab was the first facility in the world to engage in Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) — filtering and disinfecting sewage to extremely high standards before it is reintroduced into the drinking supply. Goreangab’s success set a precedent, and Windhoek is still a shining example to the rest of the world. In 2002, GWRP was replaced by the New Goreangab Wastewater Reclamation Plant (NGWRP), which now provides 21 million liters daily — over a third of the area’s drinking water.

The idea of drinking purified water that was once sewage is unthinkable to many, but Goreangab employs an intensive 10-step process, including several layers of filtration and disinfection, even using bacteria to help remove organic matter in the water. This ensures that the water Goreangab produces meets Namibia’s own rigorous water quality standards as well as those of the World Health Organization (WHO). And it works: the facility has never been the cause of waterborne disease.

But DPR is not the only method of water reclamation. Most places that reclaim their water for drinking follow Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR). IPR involves mixing reclaimed water with unused water in an “environmental buffer” such as a lake before treating it again to make it safe to drink. Orange County in California, for instance, has long used IPR, and many perceive it more positively than DPR despite its higher energy costs and longer turnaround times.

Singapore, Southeast Asia

One of the most famous IPR facilities in the world is Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant. With a processing capacity of 920 million liters of purified water per day, Changi is more than 40 times bigger than Goreangab. 

Changi is also unique in that it sits below another facility: the Sembcorp NEWater Plant, which further purifies the water processed at Changi into “NEWater.” The final ultra-clean product is mostly used in Singapore’s many factories, but some is added to drinking water reservoirs, especially during the country’s hot summers.

The Changi plant was recognized at the Global Water Awards 2024, along with Singapore’s desalination plant, which turns seawater into drinking water. Together, these two facilities allow Singapore to maintain access to clean water despite its lack of abundant freshwater sources like rivers or lakes.

St. George, Utah, United States

Windhoek and Singapore are both large cities, but in the American West, water shortages are severe enough that even St. George, a small city of only 200,000 people, has decided to commit to the high financial costs of water reclamation. The project will cost about a billion dollars in total. 

St. George has many programs in place to conserve water, including paying residents to tear up their lawns and replace them with water-efficient landscaping. Limits on outdoor irrigation further reduce water use. Residents are even subsidized to replace old toilets with more efficient models. 

The new water reclamation plant, with 60 miles of new pipeline, and advanced wastewater treatment technology will enable them to stretch their resources even further.

The St. George facility is not yet completed, but by the end of 2025, it will be several times the size of Goreangab and serve surrounding towns as well. The initial plan is to use the water on fields and lawns to free up drinking water for locals. They will likely switch to DPR within 20 years.

While there are no active DPR facilities up and running in the United States right now, El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California are both considering DPR projects for the future. And diminishing regional water sources mean that we will likely see more water reclamation projects in the coming years across the Southwestern U.S.

Looking to the Future

As global temperatures continue to rise and our need for water increases, droughts are likely to worsen in frequency and severity. To ensure that everyone has water access in the decades to come, drought-prone areas must use it as efficiently as possible. That means conserving water, but it can also mean recycling our wastewater to be used more than once.

Don’t look down on wastewater reclamation, particularly DPR — thanks to the strict standards it is held to, it is entirely safe. This National Water Quality Month, think about how we can best conserve our fragile water resources. Wastewater reclamation has proven its value several times over; it could soon become a much more widespread strategy for water conservation.

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Today, July 29th, is International Tiger Day: a time to appreciate the impact of these magnificent creatures on the health of important ecosystems and their role in reducing carbon emissions. 

Conservation efforts have recently helped bolster tiger populations. This is in large part thanks to the amazing conservation work going on in places like India, where tiger numbers doubled from around 1,700 in 2010 to over 3,600 in 2022. The global wild tiger population has increased by about 40% since 2015, reaching up to an estimated 5,578 tigers. But we must remain vigilant — this apex species is still struggling.

Tigers live across parts of China, Russia, southeast Asia, and especially India. Since their natural range is so large, they are used to surviving in a variety of habitats, but most thrive in grasslands and forests, where they are central to ensuring balance of wildlife. 

There are six subspecies of tigers: the Siberian, South China, Sumatran, Indochinese, Malayan, and Bengal tigers. Bengal tigers are the most common subspecies. Bali, Caspian, and Javan tigers are extinct.

A Keystone Species

Tigers are an example of a keystone species — species that have a large impact on their environments. This means that changes in tiger population, particularly their removal, can hugely upset the balance of their ecosystems. 

As apex predators, tigers keep prey populations in check by eating large herbivores such as deer and pigs. They hunt at night, blending into their environment with their unique stripes before pouncing to ambush their prey and targeting the neck to ensure a quick kill. They usually survive on just one meal a week. Their hunting prevents overgrazing, allowing plants to flourish and helping to maintain the balance of the forests they call home. 

Beyond their role as a keystone species, tigers have far-reaching impacts that extend well beyond their immediate habitats. A recent study, focusing on deforestation in regions of India with active tiger conservation programs, revealed a powerful connection: protecting tigers directly correlates with significantly reduced rates of deforestation. 

Since forests act as critical carbon sinks, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the preservation of tiger habitats supports global efforts to combat climate change. So by safeguarding tigers, we are not only ensuring the survival of an iconic and important species but also protecting vital ecosystems that regulate the Earth’s climate. We are preserving biodiversity, water cycles, and air quality on a global scale. 

Looming Threats

Given tigers’ importance to their ecosystems and to the global climate, it is worrying to see them still on the list of endangered species. They face threats from many directions.

One major concern is poaching. In many regions where tigers live — particularly China — their skins, bones, and even blood are coveted for medicinal use. Hunting tigers to obtain these parts is therefore a major issue for conservation. It is worth noting that there are no magical or unique chemicals in tiger parts; medicine such as aspirin has similar active ingredients and effects while keeping tigers and our environment safe.

Another major issue impacting tiger numbers is habitat fragmentation, which occurs when human activity, such as farming or road building, divides a natural ecosystem and makes it harder for animals to navigate safely. Roads and farms create borders which prevent many species from thriving, but they are particularly devastating to those that like to roam, like tigers. Tigers’ territories can be up to hundreds of square kilometers in area, marked by scent and scratching posts.

Fragmentation increases the incidence of interaction between tigers and humans, which can be dangerous for both species. Tiger attacks are rare, but occur most often when tigers are forced out of their natural habitats due to human encroachment.

Habitat destruction and fragmentation are tough on many species, but they hit tigers even harder. Around 95% of tigers’ natural habitats have been destroyed by logging, agriculture, or industry, and what little is left is split into increasingly small areas, making tigers more vulnerable to all threats. We need to all keep the pressure on our governments to do more to protect forests and vital keystone species habitats. 

A Resurgence?

When countries act to protect tigers, they meet success. Bengal tigers in particular have benefitted from conservation efforts in Nepal, Bhutan, and India.

Nepal has created wildlife corridors to combat fragmentation. These corridors are patchwork paths of grassland and forest reclaimed from human activities. They allow tigers to move between more protected areas while minimizing human contact. Other endangered species like rhinos benefit from the corridors as well.

Bhutan, too, has made huge progress. Their government has set goals for 30% of their land and water to be protected areas for tigers and other wildlife, not to mention restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems. In conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme’s Vanishing Treasures initiative, they have set up trail cameras to understand tiger behavior and find how best to protect them. To understand tigers’ genetic diversity, they’ve even used scat sampling — analyzing big cat poop!

75% of the world’s tigers live in India, so conservation there is vital to the survival of the species. While the Indian tiger population has more than doubled from 2010 to 2022, only a quarter of present-day tiger habitats are protected in the country, meaning that there is much more work to do.

EARTHDAY.ORG is a leader in rebuilding fractured tiger habitats. The Canopy Project is planting mangroves to bolster local ecosystems in Bangladesh, which will greatly benefit Bengal tigers. Every tiger counts, so donate to The Canopy Project to allow us to keep fighting for them.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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We are committed to a transition to sustainable materials. 

This bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic. 

We are a major investor in green energy.

You’ve likely seen statements like these in advertisements or on product labels. Buying a company’s products because of their sustainable practices can be admirable, but how much trust can we put in such claims?

​​As the evidence of human responsibility for accelerating climate change and environmental degradation becomes ever clearer, companies are finding themselves under pressure to make their practices more sustainable — or at least to appear that way. Many large corporations engage in greenwashing: using marketing to make their products or services seem more environmentally friendly than they actually are. Here are six tricks marketers use to pull the wool over your eyes.

Quick, Look Over There!

One of the most common greenwashing methods that companies employ is to make one small  positive change or effort and then draw as much attention as they can to it. 

For instance, ExxonMobil has long publicized its plan to construct carbon capture facilities in the UK, which would theoretically reduce the impact of its gas production. But despite their impressive talk, the project has struggled to realize necessary resources and government backing. So far, it seems like a long way off.

ExxonMobil isn’t the only fossil fuel corporation making promises it so far has not been able to keep. From 2000 to 2008, British Petroleum, BP, undertook a major advertising campaign, rebranding itself as “Beyond Petroleum” and emphasizing its alternative energy investments. Unfortunately, most of what they called “alternative” energy was natural gas, which is another form of fossil fuel and therefore hardly a greener option. Further, these investments represented just 7% of BP’s total investment budget, the rest of which was devoted to oil and coal energy.

In 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, creating the largest oil spill in human history. Researchers at the the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, explored how BP’s “Beyond Petroleum” advertising campaign influenced public reaction to this oil spill. Their analysis revealed that areas with greater exposure to BP’s ‘green’ marketing efforts exhibited a notably weaker consumer backlash following the disaster compared to regions that saw fewer of the ads. 

We Are Cutting Our Emissions

Another tactic commonly used by large corporations like Nestlé and PepsiCo is overreliance on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), or storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the land or ocean. While CDR can certainly be useful, several companies have been criticized for using it as a way to avoid implementing the systemic change that true decarbonization requires. A recent report by the New Climate Institute reported that while Danone, Nestlé, Mars, JBS, and PepsiCo’s were taking action, the Institute concluded that it was “unlikely to result in meaningful emission reductions.” To many that sounds like their efforts could therefore be described as greenwashing. 

Using CDR as a smokescreen should be doubly concerning for all of us as CDR only affects carbon dioxide, not other greenhouse gases. But these food and agricultural companies work with livestock, which is a huge source of methane.

Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide, but it is more than 28 times stronger. Many of the initiatives these companies touted (like CDR) simply ignored the methane emissions associated with farming livestock. When companies like Nestle focus on removing carbon dioxide, they can fall behind on reducing their methane emissions. 

Don’t Worry, Just Recycle

For the past few decades, many of us have grown more comfortable with and even passionate about recycling. At home, in restaurants and cafes, in office buildings, anywhere there is a garbage can, you are likely to see a recycling bin next to it. And that’s a good thing, right? The more plastic we put in those bins, the less plastic is heading to our landfills and oceans.

Except that isn’t quite how it works. Under 10% of plastic waste is recycled globally, with more than three quarters of all plastic still making its way into landfills or the ocean.

While advertising campaigns have sold us the idea that recycling is some kind of magical process that can transform any kind of used plastic into something new and valuable, the reality is that recycling is an incredibly inefficient process. And there are few buyers desperate to use recycled plastics. Creating new virgin plastic from petroleum is cheaper, easier, and results in a better quality product than recycled plastic.

If recycling plastics is so uncommon, why do we all think it’s actually happening? Because  we believe the hype that makes us feel better about buying and using plastic. The idea that we can recycle our way out of our plastic tsunami is just greenwashing on a massive scale.

The only real solution to our plastic crisis is to buy, use, and thus produce less plastic overall. With half of all plastic produced worldwide being single-use, each of us has the power to make a difference simply by refusing single-use plastic bags and choosing not to purchase plastic soda and water bottles. If we all took meaningful steps, the collective impact would be enormous. Our actions would send a powerful, unmistakable message to the corporations flooding the market with plastic: we are done with single-use plastics, and we demand change.

Ta-Da, Green!

Next time you step out to your local grocery or convenience store, have a look at their bottled water. More likely than not, at least one of the brands on display will have leaves, a forest, or some other kind of greenery on their label. This, in a very literal sense, is greenwashing. While the brand may or may not directly claim to be sustainable, natural imagery—even just the color green—implies a kind of vague commitment to environmentalism.

These green-appearing designs use natural imagery to convince consumers that they are sustainable, despite their parent companies often being among the top plastic polluters globally.

Just Don’t Ask What it’s Made From… 

While some companies appear to be the picture of sustainability, their materials are anything but. IKEA has been called out on multiple occasions for accepting lumber from environmentally valuable old-growth forests.

While IKEA makes a big point of only using recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, this is less of a guarantee than it seems — the FSC has itself been criticized for acting more like a greenwashing rubberstamp than a real regulatory body.

In 2021, Earthsight reported that IKEA had received wood from protected Russian forests. IKEA claimed to have stopped this practice once the information was made public. In 2024, it was discovered that IKEA was sourcing wood from the Romanian Carpathians, some of the only old-growth forests left in Europe.

It is extremely hard to be 100% sure that the furniture you are buying is not made from timber sourced from protected forests. One thing you can do is to invest in second hand furniture. That way you know you are reusing something already made, possibly a long time ago, and you are saving it from going to landfill. Many cities around the world have special days of the week dedicated to free furniture when residents put their unwanted furniture out on the streets for anyone who wants it.

My Fingers Were Crossed!

The simplest form of greenwashing is simply not telling the truth. Germany’s Deutsche Bank-owned asset manager DWS, for example, was recently found guilty of greenwashing. 

It had claimed that environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing was central to its work, when in fact that was not the case.

One of the most infamous cases of greenwashing came from Volkswagen back in 2015. The car manufacturer was revealed to have cheated on emissions testing, passing grossly inefficient cars off as environmentally sound.

Staying Aware

Unfortunately, these and other methods of greenwashing are likely to become more and more prevalent as environmental concern increases and companies keep trying to convince you that they care. 

The best thing you can do is stay alert. Research the companies you buy from. Consider how much of their business is sustainable, how specific their commitments are, whether they rely on plastic recycling, how accurate their labeling is, where their materials come from, and of course, check if they are being truthful. Finally, have they had complaints upheld against them or paid fines for misleading advertising or claims? 

EARTHDAY.ORG is about spreading awareness. Donate to help us get the word out and hold greenwashers accountable! It takes a group effort to fight misinformation.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post 6 Greenwashing Ploys to Watch Out For appeared first on Earth Day.

EARTHDAY.ORG’s (EDO) climate education team is committed to advancing the global campaign to make climate education a core part of every school curriculum, from kindergarten through high school. Their presence at the UN Climate Conference SB 62 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) HQ in Bonn, Germany underscores the organization’s commitment to integrating education across all subjects, for the benefit of the green economy worldwide.

Bonn, once the capital of West Germany, remains internationally significant as the headquarters of the UNFCCC, the body responsible for global climate agreements. Each summer, the city hosts critical climate meetings where world leaders and advocates, including EARTHDAY.ORG, gather to push for stronger climate action and policy commitments.

Bryce Coon, Director of Climate Education at EARTHDAY.ORG, is heading to Bonn for these meetings and will be joined there by EDO’s youth leader Johnny Dabrowski and European consultant Max Falcone—all of them advocating for a fully integrated approach to climate education. The vision is not for climate change to be a single, isolated subject, but rather a theme woven throughout all disciplines:

That means adding climate-related lessons and exercises to the whole curriculum for every school class. It’s a truly integrated approach: for example science classes can teach students about carbon emissions, while English classes can include poetry readings triggered by the effects of climate change, and math classes can use greenhouse gas measurements to bring algebra to life. The primary goals are to prepare students to face the climate crisis and equip them with the skills needed to empower the green economy.

Some nations, for example South Korea, are already incorporating this approach to climate education into their curricula at every level of their schooling. Since 2019 their revised national preschool curriculum  has included climate change education, focusing on daily experiences and play to instill environmentally sustainable attitudes from an early age. In primary and secondary schools, climate change topics are included in both science and social science subjects. The South Korean government has enacted laws to expand climate education, with the aim of nurturing “eco-citizens”.

Why Should We All Teach Climate Education? 

The answer reaches far beyond environmental stewardship —it’s about preparing young people to thrive in a rapidly changing world where the economy itself is being redefined by the need for sustainability.

Today, the global workforce is undergoing a profound transformation. As countries and industries pivot toward a low-carbon future, climate education will become the foundation for our economic resilience. But the green economy is not a distant dream; it’s already here, creating millions of jobs and reshaping entire sectors. 

Recent estimates suggest that the transition to sustainable industries could generate over $10 trillion in new and augmented jobs across the globe. These opportunities aren’t limited to scientists or engineers. They span construction, where workers are needed to build energy-efficient homes and retrofit aging infrastructure; manufacturing, which demands new skills in sustainable materials and clean technologies; social work and education, where professionals help communities adapt to climate impacts; finance, where expertise in sustainable investment and risk assessment is increasingly essential; and agriculture, which is being revolutionized by regenerative practices and precision farming.

Industry leaders are sounding the alarm: the demand for workers equipped with green skills is skyrocketing. Companies need employees who understand climate science, who can analyze environmental data, manage sustainable supply chains, design eco-friendly products, and plan for climate resilience. Without a workforce trained in these areas, businesses risk falling behind, unable to innovate or meet new regulations and consumer expectations.

At the same time, there’s a human dimension that cannot be ignored.  EDO’s Climate Education Report highlights that three out of four young people say the future feels frightening because of climate change. Education is a powerful antidote to this anxiety. When students learn about climate change in a solutions-oriented way, they gain knowledge, and agency. They see how they can be part of the solution. Recycling, conserving energy, and making sustainable choices become as natural as fastening a seatbelt—habits that last a lifetime and ripple through families and communities.

So What Are The Hopes for Bonn?

This session of the Bonn climate meetings (SB 62), held from June 16 to 26, is especially important because it is the last major negotiation before the  Conference of Parties (COP30),  made up of the nations of the UNFCCC,the private sector and civil society, which will be held in Belém, Brazil in November 2025.  Bonn acts as a stepping stone conference that helps to set the agenda and kick-start negotiations for COP30.

Liliam Chagas, the director of climate negotiations  for Brazil, is pushing for progress in two main areas: the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP), which aims to ensure that workers and  vulnerable communities are supported in the shift to renewables, and the Global Stocktake (GST), which reviews global progress on the Paris Agreement. The GST has found that the world is not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C, so negotiators in Bonn need to address this gap and agree on how to make the transition fair for all.

EARTHDAY.ORG hopes that governments coming to Bonn recognizes the importance of universal climate education and allocates provisions for teaching it. If countries can be convinced of its importance, Bonn could help make climate education a global priority, with more nations adding it to their national climate plans. Emphasizing the benefits of climate education country-by-country are key .Which is why EDO’s team in Bonn  is aiming to persuade more individual nations to add climate education to their school curricula as part of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). 

Climate Education in NDCs

NDCs are each nation’s commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement, submitted to the UNFCCC as a way of formalizing their plans for carbon neutrality and climate change adaptation.

There have been some recent victories  — Maldives, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda, three island nations, have each added EDO’s model language into their most recent NDCs. 

This is a great development for two reasons: First, it strengthens the precedent of including climate education in NDCs, which may encourage more countries to follow suit. Secondly, as lower income countries, they will be able to use their NDCs to claim funding for climate education.  

NDCs should be updated every five years, but nearly every country missed the February 2025 deadline, and the majority still have not submitted their most recent plans. This tardiness has, counterintuitively,  turned Bonn into a major opportunity for climate education advocates. Because so few new NDCs have been submitted, developments at Bonn could affect what is included in every nation’s final version.

EDO’s Climate Education NDC Reception on Wednesday, June 20th we will see climate negotiators, the Polish Presidency of the EU Council and Efrem Bycer, the Senior Lead Manager and Public Policy and Economic Graph, from LinkedIn taking part in a panel discussion. It is events like this that aim to consolidate support around climate education, recognize the progress that has been made in this regard, all while encouraging countries not yet committed to teaching climate education to get onboard.

What Can You Do?

Help us seize the opportunity by donating to EARTHDAY.ORG and supporting the work of the climate education coalition, working to introduce and strengthen climate education provisions in NDCs. You can also use this NDC tracker to see which countries are already backing climate education, you can even read our report to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and IG.

Bonn will not be the last battle in the fight for climate education, but it has the potential to be a major breakthrough and lead us into COP30 on even stronger footing.

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