THE ability to live in, support and promote a sustainable and resource-efficient society is known as having ‘green skills’. In order to effectively employ green technologies and processes in professional contexts and to assist environmentally sustainable decision-making at work and in daily life, it is necessary to possess technical knowledge, skills and abilities.

Green competencies are important for individuals of all ages, but younger people are more crucial since they can make a long-term contribution to the ecological transition.

Systematic adjustments are necessary for the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy, which will lead to new goods and services as well as altered business structures and manu- facturing procedures. The shift to a green economy affects necessary skills primarily in two ways; structural changes to accommodate more advanced green technologies, and new economic activities that call for new skillsets, certifications and training frameworks.

Concomitantly, job tasks that are particularly crucial for green vocations include engineering and technical skills. Also known as hard skills, these are the competencies that are related to the design, development and assessment of technology. This expertise is required for initiatives involving energy-saving, research and development (R&D), designing renewable energy sources, and eco-buildings.

Science-related skills are crucial for innovative activities and are particularly in demand in the utility industry that delivers necessities like water, sewage services and power, as well as at every level of various value chains.

Operation management skills include the knowledge of how to modify organi- sational structure to support green initiatives and an integrated perspec-tive of the business through life-cycle management, lean manufacturing and collaboration with outside parties, such as customers. For instance, sales engineers, climate change analysts, sustainability experts, chief sustainability officers, and transportation planners need these talents.

Monitoring skills are the abilities needed to judge if legal and technological requirements are being followed, such as emergency management directors, nuclear monitoring technicians, environmental compliance inspectors, and legal assistants.

Last but not least, to move towards more eco-friendly ways of production and consumption, it is necessary to have talents linked to creative thinking, creativity, flexibility, resilience and even empathy.

Dr Ainy Zehra
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2023