Rapid surge in green jobs

In terms of the understanding of green jobs in India, definitions are mostly conceptual and the general understanding is that green jobs are “jobs that positively impact the environment”. Green jobs help improve energy and raw materials efficiency, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimise waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems, and support adaptation to the effects of climate change.

India has been actively supporting green growth in recent years as the government seeks to decrease its carbon footprint and migrate to renewable energy sources with the goal of fostering sustainable economic development.

To reach this goal, the government has projected several policies and initiatives, including the National Solar Mission, National Green Hydrogen Mission, and the Swachh Bharat Mission to promote the use of clean energy, reduce energy consumption and waste, and promote sustainable practices in various sectors.

Let’s discuss some of the areas where green jobs are expected to create significant opportunities viz Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, EV /Green Transportation Manufacturing, Sustainable Agriculture and Waste Management.

Renewable Energy & Energy efficiency- renewable energy is the energy that comes from a source that won't run out. They are natural and self-replenishing, and usually have a low or zero carbon footprint, like wind power, solar power, bioenergy etc.

Renewable energy sources are plentiful and all around us. Our country is rapidly shifting towards the solar power and even our government  came up with various schemes and subsidy for solar power.

This has resulted in the growth of jobs in the production, installation, and maintenance of solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable energy technologies. Energy efficiency meaning improving the efficiency of energy use, from designing energy-efficient buildings to optimising manufacturing processes. Jobs include energy auditors, green building architects, and energy-efficient appliance designers.

EV/Green Transportation & Manufacturing – Within a short span of time soon after the completion of various smart city projects, we the people of Jammu & Kashmir experienced simultaneous increase in EV auto rickshaws, EV smart buses EV bicycles, EV cars and even cycling.

EV as some of us may be aware, is defined as a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and is capable of being charged from an external source. With the introduction of EV’s in market, various job opportunities surged in EV market (EV manufacturing, Retail, charging station installation, and maintenance) as EV Consultants, EV Technicians, EV System Application Engineers, EV Production Managers Research Analysts (battery market) etc.

Sustainable Agriculture – It’s the practice of farming in which the natural systems and resources are utilized wisely which farmers rely on. The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

This includes managing water wisely, minimizing air and water pollution, increasing resilience to extreme weather, promoting biodiversity and organic farming and agroforestry. The green jobs in field of sustainable agriculture are at its peak after emergence of various new technologies in farming, like agronomist, agriculture research interns, organic farm managers, analysts (sustainability in agriculture), farming chemical consultants and other basis roles of organic farmers, agricultural extension officers, and sustainable food system planners.

Waste Management - As our country and our states are continuously growing, there is a need for sustainable waste management solutions to deal with the country's increasing waste problem. Waste management refers to the processes involved in managing waste from cradle to grave. This includes the collection, transportation, disposal/recycling and monitoring of waste materials produced as a result of human & animal activity.

Waste problems impact the various factors of the country and especially on climate, disturb complete eco system & medical sciences due to emergence of new diseases and complications. And with more concerns about the waste management, the government is coming up with various schemes, plans to overcome this issue and will rapidly come up with the various green jobs in waste management viz Programme officers for solid waste management, Plant Managers, Site in charges, collection executives etc

As per the data I collected from the cyber world, if reports and studies are to be believed, India can generate 30-32 million green jobs by coming years. Demand for green jobs to rise 15-20% every year in next decade. As per a survey of NLB Services over the past three years, India has witnessed unprecedented growth in demand for green jobs as organisations are working toward becoming more environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliant.

The best things are, we should not rely just on the conventional job openings and skills especially the youth of the J&K, we should come forward & seek options in green revolutionary and green jobs by being technically skilled in these fields and can also become as entrepreneur like we see various start-ups have executed the organizations for waste management, own EV charging stations and organic farming. It’s not just t‘green’ career titles like solar technician and sustainability manager that can have a positive impact on the environment.

The rest of us can develop what are now being called ‘green skills’ and ‘green development’ to do our part in  making life a little more sustainable here on earth being mindful of climate change, resource saving and management, circular economy, environmental protection, ecosystem protection and recovery, water conservation and natural disaster prevention.

Green jobs are decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Jammu and Kashmir have feasible eco-system and landscape, and youth can come up and invest the skills and generate the benefits in all forms of personal growth; thus come out from financial crises and unemployment.

Government of J&K has also introduced various schemes/subsidy for entrepreneurs who wish to invest on self and on our planet earth with new ideas, plans and technologies. Green jobs are not just the jobs, it’s a revolution and those investing in this will be leading the next level.

Khalid Mustafa, Is Management & IT Professional, presently IT-Operations Manager @ HK Hyundai