Why The Future OF Climate Change Solutions Hinges ON Stem Careers

GE Next Engineers learners tasked to develop wind-powered energy

Raising awareness

International Mother Earth Day, commemorated on 22 April, raised awareness of the challenges to the well-being of the planet and the life it supports, under the theme of ‘Our power, our planet’ to champion renewable energy.

International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May aims to boost understanding of biodiversity issues, which include the planet’s wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms; and World Environment Day on 5 June is the largest global platform for environmental outreach and puts a spotlight on pressing environmental issues.

Eco-conscious careers

In light of these, together with the global warming reality that South Africa and the world is experiencing, and our clear need for environmental sustainability, it’s worth considering how critically important it is to develop careers in ecology and the environment to ensure that efforts to meet the challenges of global warming and climate change increase at a quickening pace.

The STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and maths – are crucial to efforts to combat climate change, as they have been for many years.

Scientists in a wide range of fields and professions play a key role in both our understanding of global warming and in addressing the effects. The causes, impact and potential solutions to the issues can only be adequately managed by people with intensive and relevant research, knowledge, education and skills.

Engineers develop strategies to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as flood defences, coastal protection and appropriate urban planning. They must also ensure that all infrastructure is resilient to the effects of climate change.

Scientific learnings and data ensure that mitigation technologies are developed that will go a long way towards combating climate change. Technology is of course vital to finding new ways to tackle challenges and innovate for a green future, which means that technologists in numerous fields are needed to join the efforts to ensure the good health of our planet in years to come.

Enthusiasm from young learners in the Protec GE Next Engineers programme where much focus is placed on tackling climate

Scarce skills

The fact is that on South Africa’s fairly extensive list of scarce skills are geologists, marine biologists, conservation scientists, environmental scientists, environmental engineers, environmental economists, climate change modellers, soil scientists, solar and wind energy specialists and sustainable energy engineers – and this is just a small sample.

This means that investment in the development of these careers is necessary and while many organisations, corporates and individuals throughout South Africa are heeding the call to address the needs of our environment head-on, a lot more can and must be done.

Next Engineers Programme

Protec, which is a national NPO that provides educational support in STEM subjects to learners from Grade 4 to matric and to teachers, is taking the environmental status quo seriously, and focus is being placed on it in many of our branches and projects.

The successful GE Foundation Next Engineers Programme, for example, is enabling the project’s high school learners to develop their own prototypes for water purification, solar-powered ovens and other inventions, and the impact is seen in the growing interest in and uptake of engineering as a career.

Career guidance

In order to help their learners to better understand the environment, the Protec Inanda Branch in KwaZulu-Natal this year addressed the wide range of relevant careers in a World of Work guidance lesson and then took their learners on an environmental science trip to share knowledge on what ‘going green’ means and information about careers in environmental science.

Among our Protec tertiary students at present we have those studying biodiversity, biochemistry, horticulture, environmental engineering, geology, conservation, robotics and many other degrees and diplomas related to this critical issue. Many others have completed their studies and are now in successful careers in these fields.

We face numerous challenges in South Africa, but protecting and ensuring the health of our environment – from one end of the country to the other, in our oceans and rivers, below ground and the air we breathe – must rate as among the most pressing needs that we and future generations must address. We can work together to assist young people to be well equipped to tackle the needs of the world they will live and thrive in.