Special Feature - The Green Economy

The reduction of humanity’s damaging effect on the environment is a rallying call for our generation. The scientific evidence continues to pour in, confirming our worst fears on global issues as diverse as the greenhouse effect, the pollution of our precious water resources and the unsustainable urban sprawl. Although we could probably do without Hollywood stars jetting halfway across the world, imploring us to reduce our carbon footprint, it is undoubtedly true that reduction is a key element in the battle to save our planet.

However, it is not the only one. Today’s modern economies are far too developed and our populations too large to hope that reducing what we use will alone be enough to halt the environmental slide. Innovation and technological developments are also required, and they will be fostered by the new ‘green industries’. The environmental problem is an opportunity for the ‘green economy’, and the first signs of its development in Ireland are already apparent.

In one of the few instances where Ireland has led Europe in tackling an environmental issue, WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling has been very successful since the scheme was implemented in August 2005. This one small aspect of environmental policy has created over 300 jobs in three new WEEE recycling facilities. Many more jobs will be created in the coming years, as recycling is a labour-intensive industry and it is planned – as part of a recently launched programme for 2007-2011 – that €13 million will be invested in the industry over the next five years.

Of course, not all the opportunities awaiting graduates in the green economy are in the recycling industry. Renewable energies – including biofuels, solar energy, wind power and geothermal sources – are all areas ripe for innovation and entrepreneurship. It is an inevitability that these industries will grow, and it is the school-leavers of today who will drive that growth. Germany is a prime example of the kind of jobs growth possible in a green economy.

Speaking recently (February 2007) in Galway was Renate Künast, German Minister for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture during the 2001-2005 government. She spoke of the government’s mindset that “the ecological question and the economic question belong together”. As evidence of this approach, Ms Künast cited statistics such as the 170,000 new jobs that were created in the renewable energy sector in Germany during her ministerial tenure.

However, the green economy will not just consist of industries that have a direct effect on the environment. Every company has the opportunity to innovate and make its business a more attractive option by coming up with environmentally-friendly solutions. Examples of these include the following:

Engineering
Among other steps taken by Spring & Precision Engineering in Wexford is the replacement of synthetic oils with water-based polymers (chemical compounds). The polymers are biodegradable, much easier to dispose of and far cheaper.

IT
Multimedia Computer Systems Ltd is a company in Dublin that has extended the lifespan of computers, made them more energy efficient and also increased their suitability for recycling.

Manufacturing
Jacobsen Ltd is a Galway company that specialises in manufacturing environmentally-friendly chairs; the parts used are recyclable and can be replaced, extending the lifespan of the product.
 
The urgency of environmental issues will also create a host of opportunities in the research sector. The Government recently (February 2007) allocated €40 million for the purpose of public sector research into the areas of agriculture, food, health, marine, energy and the environment. A significant portion of this funding will be spent on researching marine-based early warning systems for climate change, and also the development of a national climate change strategy. School-leavers entering higher education today will have many environmental and scientific research options should they decide, following graduation, to pursue a postgraduate qualification.

This article has highlighted just a small sample of the occupational and educational possibilities for graduates in an environmentally sustainable future. New opportunities are born out of new challenges, or as Albert Einstein once said: ”Today’s problems cannot be solved with the same way of thinking and the same strategies that caused those problems in the first place.”