Strategic Focus: Mind The Climate Skills Gap
Alastair Foyn
15 Jun, 2023
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Executive Summary
The demand for climate-related skills exceeds the available supply, posing challenges for firms in terms of meeting climate requirements and implementing net zero strategies. A lack of expertise – and the limited size of dedicated teams – are hindering progress, with more job openings than qualified professionals. This shortage is exacerbated by the trade-off between climate expertise and corporate experience, geographical mismatch of talent pools, and misalignment between academic and corporate knowledge. To bridge the climate skills gap, firms can aggregate corporate and climate attributes when forming teams, establish prioritized hiring criteria, consider location challenges, target experienced hires from academic sources, and invest in training existing employees. By making these strategic adjustments, they can foster alignment between climate expertise and corporate experience, and build teams with the necessary skills and knowledge, capable of conducting increasingly rigorous climate-related activities.
Climate-related demands outstrip today’s climate skills supply
Many skilled climate professionals lack deep experience in corporate roles
Firms can clear the climate skills gap by adapting acquisition and training practices
Many skilled climate professionals lack deep experience in corporate roles
Firms can clear the climate skills gap by adapting acquisition and training practices
Figure 1. Open climate-related positions
Figure 2. Density of climate professionals
Figure 3. Career paths of senior climate employees
Figure 4. Pyramid of aggregated climate-related and corporate attributes for climate teams
Figure 2. Density of climate professionals
Figure 3. Career paths of senior climate employees
Figure 4. Pyramid of aggregated climate-related and corporate attributes for climate teams
Accenture, AECOM, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Aviva, Bain, Belgian Federal Climate Change Department, BHP, BP, BT Group, Burberry, Cambridge Centre for Climate Science, Capgemini, Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), CLIMACT, Coca-Cola, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO; formerly the UK Department for International Development (DFID)), Deloitte, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Environment and Climate Change Canada, ETH Zürich, European Commission, EY, GeoNames, GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation), Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Guidehouse, HSBC, ICLEI Africa, ICPAC, JLL, JPMorgan Chase, La Fresque du Climat, LinkedIn, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), M&g, Mazars, McKinsey & Company, Mercuria Energy, Microsoft, NatWest Group, NavInfo, Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Normative, ODI (Overseas Development Institute), Ontario Ministry of Energy, OpenStreetMap, PwC, Qantas, School District of Philadelphia, Scottish Government, Shell, South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs, South Pole, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Team for the Planet, The Climate Reality Project, TomTom, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, UK Department for Business, UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK Foreign, UK Met Office, UK Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Foundation, University of Cape Town, University of Nairobi, University of Plymouth, URS Corporation, Volvo Cars, World Bank Group, World Economic Forum (WEF), World Meteorological Organization, Zenrin, Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (ZUG), Zurich Insurance Group
About the Authors
Alastair Foyn
Analyst
Alastair is an Analyst in the Verdantix Net Zero & Climate Risk practice. His current research agenda focuses on carbon management software and decarbonization best practi...
Ryan Skinner
Research Director
Ryan is a Research Director at Verdantix, where he leads a team of analysts delivering research, data and advisory services that help clients navigate the fast-evolving landsc...
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