Green skills: what are they and why managers need to acquire them now

This is an article about green skills for managers, and if you think that’s not for you, you might want to reconsider.

“Any manager who thinks green skills are optional will end up with the job prospects of managers who thought computer skills were optional,” warns Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of the international sustainability, strategy and creativity agency Futerra. “When seismic shifts happen in the economy, you can bemoan them, or make a career out of them. I recommend the latter.”

Going green is no longer a fringe interest. It is an economic, legal and practical necessity for all companies. The UK is legally bound to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, and that will cover all sectors of the economy. Energy, transport, food, buildings – all of the greenhouse gas emissions from every source will have to be shut down and replaced with clean alternatives.

This is nothing less than a wholesale transformation of the global economy, which will require changes to nearly everything we do. This will not only stave off the disastrous impacts of the climate crisis, but also result in a cleaner and healthier world, and in the long run save money, too.

Don’t panic, get learning

Faced with something so overwhelming, the big question for many will be – where to start? What green skills do managers need to transform their companies, reduce their emissions, cut their carbon footprints, and reframe their operations?