Tag Archives: cap and trade

Forestry:The Next BIG Climate Change Career

When I wrote that Forestry was going to be a potential area of career growth in the green economy, I could hear the snickering from across the country. How can the ultimate “tree hugger” job be a catalyst for climate change?  Well, most people know that trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide from high school science class. Now we are learning how valuable trees and plants can be in the removal and storage (sequestration) of carbon from the atmosphere. 

Let me explain how this career field has become more important. Part of the US Climate Change bill calls for the use of forest lands as offsets or credits.  Whether you agree or not with science behind climate change or the trading scheme, one thing is sure: People are beginning to realize that planting trees may be bigger business than cutting them down. Forestry is a job that will be on the front lines of the battle against climate change. Check out this article from Science Daily and decide for yourself:

 U.S. forests and soils store equivalent of 50 years of nation’s COsub2/sub emissions, new estimates find.

The Big Secret About Climate Change Jobs Is Revealed: The 2009 Carbon Salary Survey Hits the Street

professional womenAre you a job seeker who is on the fence about moving to a career in Climate Change? Or are you a person contemplating a technical career in the Climate Change industry?

Now Is The Time to Get In Position For A Job Opportunity

Acona CMG, Acre Recruitment and Thomson Reuters have put out a salary survey you need to read now

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Another Shade of Green: Top 5 Hot Financial Jobs in the Green Economy

Why You Need to Know About These Opportunities

 

If you really want to know what is happening in the American economy, it is just a matter of following the money. Cap and Trade has been a political issue which has received a lot of attention in the news. Some applaud it and others criticize it for different reasons. What we wanted to know is “How is this new Green House Gas exchange market going to translate into jobs?”   As we said before, follow the money. Here is what you need to know: It has been forecasted that the new US cap and trade system will create a $3 trillion market by 2020. What does that mean to you as a job seeker? Thousands of well paying jobs on one of the real problems in our environment. If you can get the education, training and certifications you will need, the opportunities will be strong.

 Let’s get to the opportunities:

  1. Emissions Broker/Trader: These professionals will the focal point of the new carbon trading market. They are responsible for buying and selling credits to interested parties on the exchange or from the private over-the-counter market. Carbon is not the only GHG traded on the market that will see growth. Look for new job opportunities in Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Sulphur Oxide (SOx) markets as the overall volume of greenhouse gas trading grows. Traders and brokers must complete licensing requirements in order to work in the market. Some of the successful emissions traders have degrees in science, math or engineering. If you are interested in learning more about Carbon Trading here is a great opportunity. 
  2. Market Analyst: These are the people who use mathematical models to do analysis and research on the market for investors. Their findings also help determine investment strategy, policy and pricing mechanisms. With the enormous amount of information and money that will be generated when the US comes on line, there will be a worldwide need for these people.
  3. Forensic Accountant/Fraud Examiner: The critics of the cap and trade market believe that fraud could be a major problem. After the scandals that rocked Wall Street and the credit crisis who could blame them? Fraud examiners will be a critical part of the team to determine the money trail and help regulators with prosecution. Here is a great place to learn about the qualifications needed for this type of job.
  4. Energy/Market Economist: These professionals will analyze and interpret market data and use it for economic forecasting. Economic forecasting predicts market trends based on economic models. Job opportunities will grow as the market moves ahead.
  5. Carbon Consulting/Sustainability: This job will have myriad variations on its title but every company which has to engage in GHG trading will have an department or business partner to help them deal with their carbon credits and trading. This means there will be opportunities for corporate and consulting jobs.

What are the Qualifications for these Jobs?

Many of these jobs require at least a college degree for entry level jobs. Others, like the trading jobs, may also require licenses and certifications from government or the financial industry.

 

The First Green Tsunami of Job Opportunities

As the Stimulus package takes effect in more areas of the economy, environmental and infrastructure related jobs openings have begun to slowly increase. Now is the time to get in position and catch the wave. 

Another Civil Engineer Shortage?

Now that Stimulus package is taking effect in the infrastructure sector of the economy. Consulting engineering firms and government agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers are finding that they do not have enough employees to do design, construction management and project management. Take a look at Carol Metzner’s of Civil Engineering Central.com article to learn more about opportunities in civil engineering.

Climate Change Boom: Obama Policies Create Largest Consulting Boom In 20 Years.

President Obama’s climate change initiatives are creating high end jobs in the consulting industry. In his article  for Climate Change Corp.,David Metcalf of Verdantix lays out a  treasure map of the growth and job opportunities in Climate Change consulting. Hinton Human Capital is one of the search firms who specializes in environmentally focused industries such as climate change consulting. See our jobs here.

Emission Traders Expect Huge $3 Trillion US Carbon Market by 2020 

If you worked for a Wall Street Firm and have an interest in the Carbon Market or a person who wants to be a carbon trader. You may be interested in this article by Nina Chestney and Michael Szabo of Reuters. It talks about how the new climate change laws could create a whole new environmentally focused  financial market over the next decade. Tracey de Morsella of Green Economy Post also wrote a great article on the growth of green jobs.

It’s Not Easy Being Green: Who Will Be Needed in the First Wave of Green Jobs

Kermit the Frog had it right - It is not easy being green. Especially if you are one of the thousands of people going after a “green job“. These job opportunities will be a driving force in the job market for years to come but they will not be easy to get initially. If you are a job seeker, you will need to get the right skills and knowledge today if you want to get hired immediately.  Here is some information which may be helpful.

The stimulus package has $5.55 billion set aside for the General Services Administration (GSA) to “convert GSA facilities to High-Performance Green Buildings”. These buildings will require some level of redesign and the procurement of specialized building materials before the projects will go to construction. Many of the initial green building construction jobs connected to these projects will require knowledge of LEED AP standards plus degrees in construction management, science or engineering. Job seekers who have a LEED AP certification, knowledge of sustainable building practices and a college degree may have a distinct edge over candidates who do not. 

The Smart Grid has an appropriation of $4.5 billion dollars. Before it goes to construction, there will be an initial need for engineers, Computer Aided Design (CAD) professionals, real estate professionals, scientists and geodetic survey personnel. The engineers and CAD professionals will do the design and specifications for the generation plants and transmission lines. The real estate professionals, scientists and geodetic survey personnel will  do the reports and surveys for the National Environmental Policy ACT (NEPA), Right of Way Acquisition and the local environmental permits required for power plant and power line construction. Job seekers pursuing these fields will need to update their education and certifications to be considered ahead of the competition.

These are just some of the green job opportunities that will come available as the stimulus package takes effect. Our advice to job seekers who want to get an edge over the competition is to take the initiative and get your certifications, degrees and/or experience in order to get these new opportunities. You will be glad you did.