In celebration of British Science Week 2022 this basic guide explores pathways to a career in sustainability
by Jen Allerton, Outreach Assistant at Make Happen
When you’re thinking about your future and possible career, a great place to start is with the things you care about, your values and motivation. One thing that many people have in common is that they want to make a positive difference to the world, or their community.
As part of our job at Make Happen, we also want to help you think about what the future of work might look like. The growing challenges of climate change mean that more and more people will be needed to work in areas that tackle key issues and create solutions.
No matter what your interest, you can find a career that suits you whilst helping to create a more sustainable future – so keep reading to find out about different options and find links to further resources.
Agriculture
The UK’s agricultural sector currently accounts for around 10% of our greenhouse gas emissions, and the entire food supply system makes up about 30%. Worldwide, population increase means more demand for food supply. But claiming more land for planting crops means destroying existing ecosystems, which can be important for removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere as well as providing habitats for wildlife. We need to get as much nutritious food as possible out of the land, but the overuse of fertilisers can cause pollution in streams and rivers, and at the same time, climate change is causing more unpredictable weather and more frequent droughts and flooding.
So, there’s a lot of pressure on farmers and agricultural scientists to come up with solutions. Plant scientists look at how to grow crops that can cope in extreme conditions, or have less need for fertilisers, for example. Soil scientists can advise on the health of the soil, and how to reduce carbon emissions from soil by planting seeds with less ploughing, or maintain the nutrient content of the soil by rotating the types of crops planted in different seasons. Engineers can create electric-powered or hydrogen-fuelled farm machinery, and much more. High demand for workers in agriculture means you can potentially receive a decent salary and rewards, with good job security.
Example study options:
- BSc Agriculture (Regenerative Systems) or BSc Sustainable Food Production at Writtle University College
- Level 3 Apprenticeship in Land-Based Service Engineering
Ecology and conservation
Another option if you enjoy working with nature and being outdoors is working directly in ecology and conservation. Ecologists study ecosystems and their changes in response to different environmental conditions. They work on scales from a single tree or pond to an entire region, and look closely at the interactions between different species in an ecosystem and the effect on the whole food chain of any disturbance.
You could be conducting site surveys for planned development sites, nature reserves, or agricultural land, measuring key indicators like carbon storage and biodiversity. You might monitor the state of a site over time to track changes and check whether policy commitments are being met, or advise on environmental management of sites. You could even lead on projects reintroducing a species to an area to improve biodiversity or help conservation efforts.
Ecologists spend a lot of time working with large sets of data, either analysing it to find out whether any significant changes are taking place or using it to model what might happen in different possible situations. If you’re interested in wildlife but aren’t keen on doing lots of work with databases, spreadsheets and programming, you might prefer to work with animals as a conservation specialist, looking after endangered species or supporting international breeding programmes.
Example study options:
- BSc Biological Sciences or BSc Marine Biology at University of Essex
- BSc Animal Science (Zoo and Wildlife Conservation) at Writtle University College
Engineering
Engineers are problem solvers. It’s not all building and fixing machines or equipment; engineering is about design and creating new ways of doing things. New technologies are key to solving some of the big problems, from finding ways of harvesting and storing renewable energy, to creating zero carbon vehicles, and making our homes and buildings more energy efficient.
Civil engineers work on anything and everything in the built environment, from water systems to roads and transport infrastructure, and new property developments. Mechanical and electrical engineers design the engines in electric cars, telecoms engineers keep us all connected so that people can work flexibly from home instead of driving to the office every day, materials engineers find new ways to make alternatives to plastics and create materials that are easily to recycle, and marine engineers look at ways to reduce the effect of noise pollution from shipping and offshore wind farms on marine life.
Example study options:
- BA/BSc Architecture at Anglia Ruskin University
- MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University
- MEng Electronics and Renewable Energy Systems at Anglia Ruskin University
Data Science
In order to be sure whether an approach is working as intended, or what effect our actions are having on the environment, we need to back up our theories with lots of reliable data. Data scientists are specialists in analysing and understanding vast databases full of information, for example recordings taken by satellites or monitoring stations. They can take the raw, unprocessed rows and columns of numbers and turn them into meaningful summaries, graphs, and maps. Statisticians know how to interpret trends to say whether they actually represent a relationship between two environmental factors or could just be due to chance. Software engineers design the programmes they use to store, search, and analyse data.
Example study options:
Something different
You don’t have to be a scientist or an engineer to make a difference to the big issues of climate change and the environment. Maybe you’re interested in working in politics, journalism, or industries such as fashion or tourism. Governments are key to driving major changes in the way we live and work, and how we manage natural resources.
National governments set targets for progress and offer funding for research and incentives for businesses to achieve reduced emissions and implement changes. On a local level, councils are responsible for recycling, public transport, and new infrastructure projects. You don’t have to be an elected representative; you could be a civil servant working for a government department or local council, or a policy advisor for businesses and other organisations.
Worldwide, the fashion industry is estimated to account for about 10% of global emissions, as well as being a major consumer – and polluter – of water. The rise of “fast fashion”, involving mass production of cheap garments that are quickly thrown away and replaces, is gradually becoming less popular with consumers, and stricter measures from governments mean businesses are forced to take responsibility for their supply chains and find more sustainable materials and processes. The changing fashion industry will need designers and managers with the skills and knowledge to take on these challenges.
It’s only natural that many people want to visit some of the most beautiful and wild landscapes on Earth, but in many of these locations, tourism can have a major impact on the local wildlife and the environment, through pollution – light and noise pollution as well as water and air pollution – and through habitat destruction to make room for hotels. Perhaps you’ve considered a career in the tourism industry, but want to make sure you’re doing things right? There are courses for that, too!
Writers may not seem to have an obvious role in the fight against climate change, but journalism is key to holding governments to account, and bringing issues to light that people might not otherwise be aware of. Being able to tell an engaging and emotive story often gets people’s attention and promotes action better than pages of facts and figures could.
Further resources
Job profiles
- iCould is a website filled with examples of careers you could go into, featuring videos of people who work in them – hear from Animal Keepers, Ethical Trade Managers, Landscape Architects and Flood Risk Management Advisors
- Farmers Weekly also has a collection of job profiles in the agricultural industry
Green University league table
- People and Planet is a UK-wide student campaigning network, and it produces a league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance – so you can check out how well your top choices do at protecting the environment
Personal Statement boosters
- FutureLearn and Open Learn provide free courses in a wide range of topics including the environment – these are great for developing your knowledge and understanding, and demonstrating your interest in the subject
This guide was written as part of our resources for British Science Week, 11 to 20 March 2022.