UN predicts 24 million new jobs with a focus on sustainable practice and enforcement could be created by 2030

Sustainable Jobs: The Environment Takes Priority 

2020 was a disaster for businesses across the UK, however we are seeing signs of recovery. With this in mind, public and private sector organisations are looking towards the challenges of the future with pragmatism.

The reliance on our outdoor public spaces during lockdown has emphasised the need for a strong environment. Organisations are looking to improve society and nature with ethical and sustainable practices. In fact, the UN predicts that 24 million new jobs could be created by 2030 with a focus on sustainable practice and enforcement.

Here, we look at the sustainable jobs that will fix the environment in 2021.

Local government leads the way

It’s not just the private sector that is looking to improve its sustainable practices. Even local government sectors are improving the way that councils and wards are acting with the best interest of the environment at heart.

An environmental enforcement officer ensures that both the public and private sectors are meeting sustainable and environmental standards. The officers have a broad range of roles, including:

• Patrolling local areas
• Investigating graffiti
• Investigating illegal fly-tipping
• Reporting people who break the law and create environmental problems

While primarily a frontline role, these workers identify the best ways to reduce the environmental impact. Considering the utilisation of parks during the pandemic’s height, this role is essential for ensuring that our local areas maintain their high standards and cleanliness.

The role is a primary focus of councils across the UK, with council hiring for environmental health officers and community safety officers. Job adverts on one local government job page identify graduate jobs that specialise in the environment, with a salary starting between £27,741 and £33,728. This is up to 38 per cent above than the average graduate salary.

The high salary of this role only emphasises the importance of environmental and sustainable skills in the workplace. These skills resort to good economic management with a clear intention to protect transformed public spaces.

A renewed private sector

Various private sectors are implementing sustainable strategies for environmental protection. Importantly, these strategies respond to the need to reduce non-renewable waste in construction, manufacturing, and services. This demonstrates the need to enable sustainability in industries through strategies that manage plastic waste, concrete, steel, and other materials in industries is essential going forward.

The construction industry, for instance, contributes the majority to waste in the UK. A 2018 government publication indicated that 59 per cent of total UK waste was generated by construction, demolition, and excavation industries. Even more, 13 per cent of this waste was new and unused material.

The waste management sector is growing with an increasing need to understand sustainable practices. The government intends that by the end of 2020, 50 per cent of household waste will be recycled or reused, and 70 per cent of construction waste will be recovered as usable material. Whether these quotas will be fulfilled is yet to be seen.

The future is reliant on everyone playing a part in practising sustainability, but it hinges on the compliance of big swingers. The leadership of local government has been instrumental in demonstrating the power of communities to protect the environment. National strategies and a growing waste sector have also proved the need to manage waste with care. Sustainable job roles will continue to grow in 2021 and beyond, recognising their utility in shaping a better planet.