What Can You do About the Climate if you Retired?

For me, my climate focus is on climate careers. I’ve chosen to highlight the juicy problems that need solving, as well as the funding streams and resources that can support those efforts. My experience as a career counselor has taught me that success often lies in understanding where the money is, where it’s going, and how to connect with the people managing those funds. Usually, I write for the general public, but this essay is for my fellow retirees.

A few years ago, I was on the banks of the Salmon River, deep in the Frank Church Wilderness, when one of the younger members of our trip—perhaps the only middle-aged one—spoke up during a campfire conversation. “You guys can’t quit,” he said. “You’re too brilliant and have too much to offer. We need you!” I’d assumed he was talking about Frank, a truly brilliant man, but then he continued, “Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you get to quit on our problems.” That stuck with me.

The truth is, we do need the best of everyone to confront the climate crisis—whether they’re paid for their ideas and efforts or not. A career isn’t just a job. It’s a way to make life meaningful. When we were younger, a career was often about earning a paycheck, but in retirement, it’s about what we choose to pour our energy into. As Freud once noted, love and work are the two great drivers of life. If either is missing, life’s richness diminishes. This isn’t a love column, so I’ll focus on work and career.

Volunteering is a career choice. Activism is a career choice. Even hobbies can become careers in action, providing meaning, joy, and a sense of purpose. For retirees, these "careers" often come without the constraints of a formal job—no bosses, no performance reviews, and no clocking in.

So, what does a career afford you? Structure, purpose, and the satisfaction of contributing to something bigger than yourself. I see it in retired friends who help their families, support their communities, or volunteer with organizations. America’s vast network of volunteers—many of them retirees—keeps the country running, from election workers to specialized professionals offering their expertise for free. These efforts are vital to society and rewarding to those who give their time.

In retirement, you have the freedom to choose your role. You can support those still working, offer consulting expertise, volunteer, work part-time, or even launch a new enterprise. The beauty of retirement is that you’re free to limit the time, place, and type of work you do. No more fitting into someone else’s box.

So what’s the answer to the question, “What can you do about the climate crisis?” Climate writer Mary Annaïse Heglar offers a simple response: “Do what you’re good at. And do your best.” This advice is especially meaningful for retirees. It’s not a call to return to your old job. It’s an invitation to apply your skills and wisdom to a new challenge.

One place to look for inspiration is Third Act, a movement founded by Bill McKibben and others. It’s a community of older adults leveraging their time, energy, and resources to push banks, insurance companies, and Big Oil to change their ways. This group of “great old geezers” is showing the world that age is no barrier to activism.

But maybe you’re thinking, “Climate isn’t what I work on.” Well, think again. Everyone can contribute. Look at your skills, connections, and experience. Ask yourself: Who’s doing something about climate that I could support? Who’s doing something I admire? How can I move in that direction? I’ve seen retirees launch new businesses and nonprofits focused on climate solutions. Why not you?

As a retired career counselor, psychologist, and former Director of Counseling and Career Services at UCSB, I’ve seen thousands of people wrestle with career decisions. I’ve learned that climate-related careers are everywhere—not just for scientists and activists, but for problem-solvers, creators, and connectors. I’ve chosen to focus on helping people discover where they fit in the climate movement. Instead of trying to be something I’m not, I’m leaning into what I know best. This is my new gig—and yes, I’ve already got a “day job” as a volunteer, too. I'm teaching young students about nature and careers to help the climate!

So, what’s your new gig? The climate crisis needs you. Not just your donations, but your creativity, insight, and lived experience. You’ve earned your retirement, but the world still needs you. You’re too brilliant and have too much to offer. We need you.

This article is part of a large effort I am calling an ebook with the working title: Climate Change Problems Mean Green Careers.  If you have any ideas about putting this book into circulation by finding a site for it or creating short videos for Facebook etc. put your ideas in the comments below!

 

 

Beyond the Activist

 

The one climate career that everyone would probably agree is essential is that of the climate activist. Certainly, Greta Thunberg comes to mind, along with writer Bill McKibben and actor Jane Fonda. Some people have found paid positions as activists, climate community organizers, and lobbyists with nonprofit organizations. The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, led by Mary Ann Hitt, has successfully facilitated the closure of 318 coal-fired power plants across the United States, many during the first Trump administration. Activists can make significant contributions, and not all of their work takes place in the streets.

While this route may be a calling for some, others might admire the activist’s role but not see a place for themselves in it. This is an invitation to look beyond activism and explore the careers that build what must come next. We are in the process of "building an airplane while flying it" as we move into the future. Isn’t that an interesting use of the word “career”? While activism remains vital, we also need people to "pop in rivets on the wings," navigate the course, and fuel the system in ways that keep us on track. Even better if we can turn this airplane into a rocket that propels us faster toward a sustainable future.

What is needed? Money! We need fund raisers and financiers to be climate people and to think of the best way to finance climate positive infrastructure and energy alternatives for a healthy planet and all the passengers human, animal and plant. The risk is not that the quarterly return will be too small, the risk is that we will run out of quarters. When it came time to finance oil exploration and extraction in the arctic, the big banks found their social license running out and therefore the cost of doing business and the risk of funding more big arctic oil projects were both too high. We need someone to show big oil how to find the way to use their resources to make the transition from burning the past to lighting the future with renewable energy and make it too financially risky to keep doing business as usual. We need a way to show them their social license is out of date and they need to avoid the risk of over-investing in more extraction and literally die of sunk-costs.

Let’s do a little side bar here. You might have read about big impact as a goal that appealed to you. You also may have decided you aren’t the activist type. So here’s where that idea of donating to a big impact project fits. If you like Hitt’s success in shutting down 318 coal plants, and who doesn’t? Then you could find people like her and donate to their projects and make sure they are more successful. That’s a big impact while you do what you do best! 

What else do we need? Once the activists have the public’s and politician’s attention on climate issues there will be a need for research on the best legislative, funding and administrative tools to place government funds and to create regulations for the greatest and fastest effect. Legislative and campaign  assistants and researchers with deep understanding of the climate crisis are necessary. In the past we have had environmental impact reports. An industry grew up around that process. Do we need climate impact reports to look at legislation and to rate all legislation through that lens? Where in our airplane we are building will we have people looking at all the intended climate outcomes? At the same time we need those looking at the social justice possibilities to guard against negative consequences.

Certainly we have people hard at work designing and building solutions for climate problems, both hardware solutions to climate problems. We have electric cars, improving batteries, better wind turbines and cheaper, better solar cells. Driverless cars may yield a collateral benefit of using less energy as they improve traffic flow and possibly unsnarl gridlock during “rush hour” which lasts all day. We have communities planning for sea level rise and people designing and building solutions to sunny day flooding and storm buffers. If you look for your place to get started pay attention to these people already making a good efforts. This is the review part of your career search. You have to make the effort to figure out what’s already happening and then pitch in where you see your skills are needed.

What else do we need to build? While we are building this metaphorical airplane we are hurtling into the future in (and there is no alternative transportation by the way), we might look at all the things we take for granted. 

We might think cars are necessary and so we are improving cars when maybe we need a totally different solution to the human movement problem. Being able to re-structure the problem might be the most valuable way to solve it. 

I cannot see all the climate needs or the many inventive ways to solve those problems to make the future brighter. Therefore, I suggest you wring these ideas from your own experience. 

Start a list of climate problems that you think “someone” should do something about. Those are often at the heart of your biggest concerns and motivation. Maybe you are the someone who should do something!

Put the list in order using this grid where you compare your top picks with each other concern. If you have trouble with this email me (nord.nord@gmail.com) and we can work this out. It’s not always intuitive to everyone how this results in a priority list.


Once you have your priority list do the following:
Search for people who are working on that problem now. Ask them how they approach this issue and what resources they have and what they still need.

Start a new list of possible solutions for each of problems.
Any time you have a list you may find it useful to put that list on a grid as above and sort out through this forced choice method. That should reveal what is most urgent or important to you. Some of you will hate the process. If so don’t use it!

 

6. Climate Careers and Social Justice?

 

As I read the arguments about social justice related to climate change and environmental issues I see the obvious connection. The people of this world who contributed least to our climate and environmental problems are unfortunately the ones earliest at risk and experiencing the greatest risk from negative climate consequences. It makes sense to look at Social Justice and Climate Problems at once.

 

Climate Social Justice means mitigating the negative effects of the climate problems you seek to solve by focusing on those most harmed. Social Justice means understanding people most likely to control the funds and define the issues are not representing those who most need protection. When Katrina inundated New Orleans evacuation was exponentially harder on those with less resources. Those with means had private vehicles or booked flights and had funds for places to stay. School buses sat idle while people did their best to escape. When the same hurricane resulted in loss of homes and businesses, that pattern was repeated, the least well-heeled had the greatest losses. More people of color lost their communities as well as their homes, jobs, and businesses and more lost their lives. Katrina seems a model for the social justice inequities. Since Katrina public evacuation transportation plans have unfolded, and not without problems. Social justice in these disasters requires our plans begin the least resourced among us to frame the problems with inclusive understanding, that is a necessary part of the job in a climate career whether that focus is energy transition or disaster response. All solutions need evaluation for effects on jobs, housing, transportation, health, education and on across the board as we do our best to make good decisions.

 

If the problem you are planning to attack through your career is transition of transportation away from fossil fuel, how will you address the social inequities? How do we transition a coal miner or an oil field worker to a position in alternative energy or something they choose in different field? As we transition from fossil fuel what do the families with small businesses do for a living when their small gas station closes? Or the job at the refinery ends? The industrial revolution is a history of displaced people as jobs were lost or housing cleared away or communities wracked with pollution. Solving these problems mean careers for creating solutions and alternatives.

 

If those able to buy or lease a non-fossil fuel vehicle qualify for incentives is that addressing inequities? I benefit from my neighbor’s electric vehicle (EV). It creates less pollution near my home and eases the burden on my lungs. It puts 40% less carbon in the air than a similar car burning gasoline even if the electricity is produced with fossil fuel. Why would it matter who owns the EV? I may not have the money to buy one even with incentives, so I will pay more for fossil fuel or use public transit. If my neighborhood is economically depressed there will be no EV’s helping to clear the air nearby and my benefit from an EV anywhere in the world will be less carbon in the atmosphere. That benefit is still good for me and my family. You may have to work harder to have me see I need this more than clean air and safe transportation or a job where I live. The inequities increase when we find poorer neighborhoods are more closer to industry emitting pollutants and freeways spewing toxins, some devoted primarily to heavy diesel truck traffic.  All of this coupled with less money, less education and generally fewer resources and options is part of the problem set involved in social justice related to climate mitigation.   

 

My goal is to inspire creation of careers that solve social justice AND climate responses. Trying to solve climate problems without eliminating existing social inequities and the possibilities of creating more of the same is an important key to progress. When we saddle those who were least responsible for creating the climate crisis with the negative consequences, we sew in injustice, dissidence and continuing social burdens that cripple people around the globe who did not sit at the board room table or on the government commission to help form the decisions. Long-haul climate solutions require political will at the ballot box and in the street as well as administrative, business and legislative support so we have a continuing mandate for solutions that last long enough to see success. If broad swaths of society are left out of decision making, and/or not included in the benefits and left with continuing burdens there will be no long-term support. Already we’ve seen governments topple that proposed better approaches to climate problems but failed to develop the long term political will to take it back to the polls to win again and again.

 

While the burden of the climate crisis falls most heavily on those with fewest resources it clearly impinges all of us. In the US we incarcerate more people than most. If you are a person of means, you pay for that warehousing of prisoners through your taxes. When a person of color is sick with asthma from the pollution they live with and they are unable to get treatment until it’s an emergency it’s a tragedy for the family and an expense for you, you are a person of means, as you support the ER response through taxes at much greater expense than preventative care and mitigation of the pollution.

 

Undereducated folks pay fewer taxes and have poorer health and contribute less to the market (certainly not the social/cultural system) so those with means experience a less robust economy than we could have. There are fewer customers than there could be and those customers have fewer dollars to spend. Worst of all, they have less access to the commerce of ideas that get funded or invented and we throttle the diversity of ideas and solutions from emerging from a vast swath of humanity. I want to tap all the ingenuity available for solving our problems.

 

We just looked through the lens of your monetary interests to see how you might be affected by inequality even if you didn’t think it was your problem. We also need to embrace our world as a community for the most humane ways to solve our problems. Social justice is a simple idea of the golden rule, looking out for each other and making life better, not just an economic anchor dragging us down. In the end, isolating on a private island with buckets of riches is an untenable personal solution even for the mega rich. We are in this together.

 

In the US as with other elected governments, we have to reach those opposed to solutions to climate issues, indeed, remain entrenched in denial.  They need solutions to stimulate vision (a worthy career goal) and a future for their families that involve jobs and housing needs too.  Failing to create a sustainable model that results in re-election of climate change policy governments will jeopardize any climate response that has only a one or two terms for what needs to be an enormous and continuing response. We need people in the climate careers that make it their work to bring a long-term majority into agreement on the most important of climate change responses.

 

 

 

4. Where are the Climate Careers?

 

Most people expect a list. In fact, I suppose most people come to this blog expecting a list of jobs and employers or maybe client’s climate solutions. There is some merit to searching lists, if you have a specific job in mind. If you have done your homework and know what problems are worth solving (your choice) and have enough information on the organization and position to know you can address those concerns in the listed job. Trolling (like fishing, not internet bashing) might turn up a desirable position. The hazard is hooking a job that will pull you into deep water doing something far from the problems you wanted to solve. Use your list of major problems as an anchor so a shiny new career ends up being your opportunity and not solving someone else’s problems far from your goals.

 

ClimateBase is a job listing service just for climate careers: https://climatebase.org/. They cluster positions: Software Engineering, Internships, Data Science & Engineering, Operations and Sales. Having oversight of a job listing service for many years I know employers have their own listing agenda. The jobs will be legitimate, the employers spent effort in preparing a description to recruit new people but this is only reduced set of what is available. Over the decades the surveys indicate usually 60+% of all positions are filled without benefit of being listed. CareerXroads recent survey found only 15% came from job boards. Jobs that fill fast , often by word of mouth, don’t reach a listing service. Positions which are created as a result of a proposal by a creative person inside or from outside the organization won’t be listed or talked about anywhere. Jobs filled by headhunters and referral from trusted friends are another missing category. In other words, plum jobs are mostly missing. In my role at UCSB as head of career services helping match employers with applicants I saw that above the entry level most found positions through assertive networking.

 

I found titles on the internet that mean little to me. Categories seemed promising, like “Sustainability X”, and as I read the job descriptions I felt like I caught an old shoe while casting for salmon! Sometimes, the “job” turned out to be a hook for a training program or enticement to join a movement. A possible title became a labyrinthine process to peak at a job description, and perhaps to leave a data path I didn’t want there. In short, the browsing process is not quick! The yield is a mess to sort through and the by-catch is overwhelming.

 

So how to find a position? Personal contacts are more productive than mindless casting. Define your career objective, the problem, specifically. Describe functions (design, sales, negotiating, developing plans, public relations, etc.) you imagine doing and the skills you bring with you. Titles may not help. The more creatively you bring this process the more handles your contacts can spin for your benefit through stimulating their thoughts and encouraging sharing of contacts broadly. If you do specify too early (I want to sell solar solutions. Do you know anyone?) your mentors will add little and have few contacts for you. “I want to represent solutions for alternatives to the fossil fuel industry. I have been in sales and I have experience in public relations. What ideas do you have about organizations to research? Who else should I talk to?” The more open-ended your request, the more creative and wide ranging your catch of ideas and next moves.

 

What Organizations?

 

You will recognize some relevant organizations, but others, like The Solutions Project, will have great opportunities hidden behind names you could hardly guess are climate related. Recently Jeff Bezos of Amazon had granted the first of his $10B commitment for climate solutions. Another $4B+ is going into new endeavors through the philanthropy of McKenzie Scott the ex of Bezos and while it is not earmarked for climate work there maybe some interesting new opportunities arise from the benefactors.This is a ripe collection of innovators to consider as they have new money and proposed far-reaching solutions. Federal, state, county contracts will yield other possibilities. Bezos’ recipients for climate grants are here: The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, ClimateWorks Foundation, Dream Corps Green For All, Eden Reforestation Projects, Energy Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, NDN Collective, Rocky Mountain Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Solutions Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Fund.

 

Another $4B+ is going into new endeavors through the philanthropy of MacKenzie Scott, Bezos’ex, and while it is not earmarked for climate work there maybe some interesting new opportunities arise from the benefactors.

 

The Biden administration is already listing positions See ClimateBase: https://climatebase.org/ for listings but also dig into news stories to find new climate projects and contracts. As with Bezos’ operation and government offices, there are decision makers considering proposals and letting contracts. If that is a function you’re ready for, step in by making inquiries with your contacts. Oh! You don’t know anyone in Biden’s or Bezos’ circles? Time to ask everyone you know who might know someone, or be a step or two away. Don’t give up, look for names in the news and aim at them by pushing those names to your contacts as someone you want meet. Yes, you can contact people directly and it really helps to have that introduction first. I’ve only used Biden and Bezos as these names are breaking now, and you will find others through active networking and reading. Networking in Covid times is going to take more effort and time, put in your time, tell the people you know what you are looking for and give it some time.

 

Let’s do an interactive sharing here. Let’s together share all the ideas for organizations you know of who are making contributions to solving the Climate Crisis. Let’s do it without regard to how large or what country or whether you think they will ever hire anyone. Even among the ones I included above I wonder what they each contribute and that may be the case for what we put together, some of the organizations may have us wonder about their role and to think more broadly than we would have otherwise. I want to have us see the greatest scope of organizations we know with a role to play. I realize this is a beginning, small blog so this will be a beginning effort. (It will have it’s own page as it grows.) Your help growing this list will create more opportunities for you and like-minded climate folks.

 

I’ll repeat the names from above in the comments section and I would love to have you add comments with names as well. I will gather those together into a blog page of it’s own that we can keep adding to.

 

Thanks to Robert Ehrmann for his insightful feedback on the

 

 

Solving Climate Crisis Problems based on the person you are!

 

Mary Annaïse Heglar has written in Wired (April 1, 2020), “What can I do?” Well, now that you understand that the question is complicated (regarding the climate), the answer actually emerges as quite simple: Do what you're good at. And do your best.”

 

I like Heglar’s response. She says get started! Do your best! Now let’s aim that inspiration by walking around the climate crisis and see where you can grab a handle and latch on. By the way, I also like Heglar’s advice without specifics. Therefore it’s up to you. You know what’s worth doing jump in, do your best! Understand your career is personal and it should be. No one else can tell you when, where or how to make your mark. No one knows as well as you what makes you tick and where your motivation comes from. I assume you read this blog because you’re angry about the climate crisis, or you’re scared of what it’s doing to you and your family. That’s the fire for getting into the fray.

 

Like many sizing up the climate crisis you might think climate is “not something I work on or trained for.” Try again. Think, what can you do with your skills to contribute to the climate crisis? What can you bring to this fight from your perspective? Who is doing something you admire and would like to do? Is there something you can’t do, but could support?

 

I want to help you match who you are with what you want to accomplish so you are more effective with what you do. I know from vocational psychology research that people who are most satisfied with their work are sharing that work with people they like. If you like the people around you, you probably like your career! When you run into people you like having success in climate work, pay attention! This is a major indicator of work for you. The reason I am talking about satisfaction is, I want to see you succeed, I need to have you succeed! The more satisfied, the more likely you will stick with the work and punch through to success. This comes from the work of John Holland, a vocational psychology theorist and researcher who made the matching process his life’s work.

 

Explaining this works best if we walk around the different perspectives. There are six types of work environments in Holland’s system and six types of people or personalities that are beneficial to match up. You may be able to pick three you most fit just from a brief description.

 

Artistic – Much like it sounds. People being creative with anything from music, dance, painting, video, digital media, writing you name it. These folks like freedom to work their own way and their own hours. If you are one of these folks you may already have ideas for tackling the climate crisis using your tools. Great! Art can bring about understanding of climate issues and project future outcomes we don’t otherwise consider.

 

Conventional – This isn’t a title you find in most personality schemes. Here we find people who are all about facts and specifics and keeping track of progress. You have data to herd into the proper format and to make the most sense of things. There are rules to follow to get results. Artistic and Conventional are opposites. If we don’t pay attention to the bottomline we might go off track in the possible options for future climate solutions.

 

Realistic – We have people who are hands on and produce a product and at the end of the day like to see what they did with concrete results! Outcomes are often well specified from the beginning and when results are obtained there is no doubt of success! Having a clear idea of built structures or machinery can make abstract design into climate reality.

 

Social – If you fit this category you probably already know. These are the compassionate who see that people understand and that everyone is taken into account and has a place. Results are about how you feel at the end of the day and there are seldom physical results you can point to. Another opposite pair, this time with Realistic. When it comes to being socially inclusive to have the largest impact in climate outcomes, these are the folks we need to lean on.

 

Investigative – The quest to find out, to think about things and come at theory through hard won evidence.  Actually seeing a product is interesting, but more likely something turned over to the Realistic folks. The tasks of the investigative is mostly intellectual. Rarely are they interested in costs or financial rewards. Researchers develop better understanding of the problems and point the way to new approaches to solving problems while avoiding unintended consequences.

 

Entrepreneurial – Is the opposite of Investigative, so these are the ones to take funding and financial risks involved in business. They are persuaders and planners and turn research into business plans. While a plan might seem ideal, if it doesn’t show a benefit to enough people it won’t stand a chance, and these leaders and influencers are necessary to forge the way to put funding to work on the projects we need.

 

I know, wouldn’t it be easier just to start a job and not worry if about investigating the people and the field? The trouble with the “random walk” approach, is the jobs don’t turn out to be satisfying about 60% of the time. That still seems to be what most people do, or even more likely, they depend on the contacts they already have to get them connected with a possible job. I’ll talk about developing solid contacts later in this series, not depending on a friend or relative who can “get” you a job. They also don’t turn out to produce the outcomes desired. In my selfish desire to see climate solutions, I want to see maximum success getting climate problems solved, so pay attention to yourself and land in one of the destinations where you can do some real good!