Development of 'green talent' essential to help nation meet carbon goals

Experts are calling for better education and training of individuals in related new professions to ensure the success of China's climate targets. Cheng Si reports.

China needs more talented individuals who have knowledge of and skills related to the reduction of carbon emissions to help the country achieve its carbon peak and neutrality goals, and to create a more livable environment, according to experts.

In September 2020, the government announced plans to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The targets have produced a "green change" in economic development, offering both opportunities and challenges, they said.

To achieve the goals, government departments and authorities at all levels have in recent years made efforts to formulate guidelines for green finance, low-carbon transportation and construction of the carbon market. Most important is the ongoing development of education and professional qualifications for people working toward the reduction of carbon emissions and carbon neutrality.

Official recognition

In September, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security approved and published the latest version of the State-level list of occupations by recognizing 134 professions related to the green economy.

Five related professions — such as carbon emissions manager and consultant for energy saving in buildings and emissions reduction — were included on the list.

"Countries and regions of the world are paying more attention to climate change, and they have released policies and measures to reduce carbon emissions, which requires more people to work on carbon-related research and practices to help implement the policies and the low-carbon goals," said Fu Demin, founder of China Carbon Gold Wealth Communication, a company based in the southwestern province of Sichuan that provides technical services for the reduction of carbon emissions.

Fu said people with knowledge of the low-carbon sector and the skills to drive emissions reduction are of great importance to China's industrial upgrading because new technologies, products, sources of energy and lifestyles have emerged in the field in recent years.

"These talented people and new professions enjoy promising prospects because the world has raised the requirements and standards for carbon emissions reduction and there is great demand for qualified workers," she said.

"It's estimated that tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of 'green talents' will be needed for the global market in the future."

According to the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency, people working in the carbon peak and neutrality sector offer products or services that are beneficial to the protection of the environment and natural resources. They also make a contribution to saving energy or reducing the cost of natural resources in terms of production and environmental damage.

The association said these talented people are the key drivers for the nation's fulfillment of the carbon peak and neutrality goals, and their recent development is a result of the green economy.

In addition, figures provided by industry organizations and recruitment agencies show that the market is in dire need of green talent. According to the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, from 2021 to 2025, the country will need between 550,000 and 1 million people working toward the carbon peak and neutrality goals.

Using the job of carbon emissions manager as an example, the recruitment platform Zhaopin said that the number of vacancies offered by companies saw a notable rise after the profession was officially recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in March 2021.

Zhaopin said that by the fourth quarter of last year, the number of vacancies had risen fourfold compared with the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, the average recruiting salary for the position is about 15,300 yuan ($2,205) a month, which is higher than the national average of 10,558 yuan per month for that period.