The Green Edge Reports Roundup, Nov-22
Continuing with our selection of reports and other publications from this month’s reading list.
Another bumper crop this month. Look out later in December for our pick of the year’s most significant green reports.
Skills, Jobs and Employment
Green Jobs in Scotland: An inclusive approach to definition, measurement, and analysis
IER University of Warwick and University of Strathclyde for Skills Development Scotland, November 2022
We start this month’s reports roundup with, again, Scotland taking a lead. Two takeaways: a great graphic on Page 3 charting the green employment of Scotland (4.3% new and emerging green jobs; 25.7% enhanced skills and knowledge; and 9.9% increased demand); and the development of a taxonomy to help understand green occupations and their skills.
Certainly this is a report the Green Jobs Delivery Group should read with interest and replicate for the whole of the UK.
The Economic Impacts of Decarbonization in Wisconsin
Cambridge Econometrics for Grid Lab, RENEW Wisconsin, Clean Wisconsin & Evolved Energy Research, September 2022
An excellent case study of the transition to clean electricity and a net zero economy. Also picks up on skills at the occupation level (page 16).
Green Jobs and Skills Development for Disadvantaged Groups
RAND Europe, October 2022
A multi-country, multi-city study which comes to the conclusion that there are limited green job opportunities available for people with low-to-medium level qualifications. Charts 197 interventions of which 45 are for the transition to the green economy. UK cities covered are Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London. Uses OVATE data rather than ESCO which is a little surprising.
PV Installation Professional Job Task Analysis
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), December 2017
A model of how to capture task data and make it into useful educational materials. Covers four domains for PV work: systems design; installation; systems commissioning; and, operations and maintenance. If nothing else, provides a checklist for those running PV skills programmes.
Green Jobs update, current and upcoming work
ONS, September 2022
One key date to look out for is November 29th when the results of the ONS consultation on the defining and measuring of green jobs will be released. Important as the ONS says there are 202,800 green jobs while the LSE (Are green jobs good jobs?) says there are 5.6mn green jobs – resolving this discrepancy is important for guiding national and regional policy.
Addressing emissions from owner-occupied homes
Climate Citizens and Lancaster University for the Climate Change Committee, September 2022
Contains the simple messages: we need trusted, independent advice, and a citizen-wide awareness and education programme if we are to succeed with domestic decarbonisation. Surely one for a national campaign?
The ASPECTT Database
Autonomy, 2022
ASPECTT means Abilities, Skills, Priorities, Expertise, Condition, Technology and Tasks. A database bringing together O*NET and ISCO both of which are freely available. Surprising they do not mention either OVATE and ESCO nor the extensive work using job postings.
UK offshore energy skills intelligence hub
OPITO and ECITB, November 2022
A resource in support of the North Sea Transition Deal’s Integrated People and Skills Strategy (May 2022), and is a model others could follow at a sector or regional (local) level.
Economic effects linked to the development of the RWE’s Pembroke Net Zero Centre
Cardiff Business School, September 2022
Detailed analysis of a major energy complex bringing together green hydrogen, carbon capture, large scale battery storage and a wind farm (floating offshore). Of interest to us as this multiple green technologies is becoming the norm, and has implications for skills and occupations working across them.
State of the Profession 2022
GreenBiz and Weinreb Group, November 2022
A great update on the world of sustainability careers. Highlights the need for additional education for sustainability professionals: sustainable finance, environmental (climate, carbon, waste, and water), circular economy, equity and social justice, human rights in supply chains, and data analysis. Worth reading alongside the 2021 Sustainability Report by Get Smarter.
Policy
Learning and Skills for Economic Recovery, Social Cohesion, and a More Equal Britain
Council of Skills Advisors’ Report, UK Labour Party, October 2022
Makes passing reference to green jobs and skills (picks up on the Green Jobs Taskforce) but does make the call for a National Skills Taskforce (sounds much like the former Commission on Employment and Skills) and is one we fully endorse. We need a central, strategic body which provides data on which to manage progress on skills.
Upscaling Carbon Farming in the EU
ENRD Thematic Group on Carbon Farming, October 2022
Highlights the need to increase the knowledge and understanding of farmers and the importance of peer-to-peer learning. A message for DEFRA perhaps and all rural communities to build into their local skills plans.
Current Methods for Life Cycle Analyses of Low Carbon Transportation Fuels in the USA
National Academies for Science, Engineering and Medicine, October 2022
LCA is a critical method for environmental impact analysis and this report forms a useful input to curriculum content.
Making Transition Plans Just: How to embed the just transition into financial sector net zero plans
Grantham Research Institute LSE, October 2022
Provides guidance to financial institutions on how they can incorporate social dimensions (a just transition) within their net zero plans e.g. social risks, social opportunities, consultation and engagement. The GFANZ framework is used here.
Employment and Opportunity in the UK
IES for the Commission on the Future of Employment Support, November 2022
A commission worth tracking. Our interest here is the area of support for everyone (and in particular disadvantaged people) into employment, and particular green employment.
Small and Medium Sized Businesses
A Springboard to Sustainable Recovery: Unlocking the Net-Zero Opportunity for UK SMEs
NatWest Bank, September 2022
Captures the vital role that SMEs play in the achievement of net zero. Two takeaways: three of the six main actions recommended are skills ones (awareness, skills and knowledge); and, in Exhibit 5 the regional presence of green economy scale-ups is charted (282 companies with sales of £10mn+ generating 44,000 jobs and gross sales of £9bn – we hear a lot about growth from politicians, but green growth is here now and showing great signs of success).
Careers Advice and Guidance
How the Changing Nature of Work Will Impact the Concept of Careers and the Role and Identity of Career Developers
CERIC Advancing Career Development in Canada, October 2022
This is a project to watch, CERIC is very progressive and analytical in its work developing careers support for the future. Their updates are worth signing-up for.
Local Solutions/Devolved Delivery
Skills for Local Net Zero Delivery
UK100, November 2022
Core message: national coordination, strategic approach, and significant local discretion if we are to tackle the growing home energy efficiency challenge.
Devolution and Economic Growth in London – A Rapid Evidence Review
GLA Economics, October 2022
Highlights the potential of the green economy to support the drive for exports coming from finance, professional services, and information technology and communications.
Regional Rebalancing: Primary research into the challenges facing local decision makers across the North of England
Atkins Global, The Northern Powerhouse Partnership and Durham University Business School, Summer 2022
A story of devolution which is now unfolding across England at some pace. Highlights some of the priority areas as being skills and the future labour force, the importance of net zero, and the capability of local authorities to tackle the issues facing them. Would be good to see this report built on with a strong emphasis on the local education and training eco-systems.
CDP Cities A List 2022
Carbon Disclosure Project, November 2022
Each year CDP produce a list of cities that have committed to net zero and are making progress. Each city is scored and assessed. In all just over 1,000 cities were assessed, and 122 (12%) made the A List. In the UK, 18 cities made the list: Dundee and Edinburgh in Scotland; Belfast in Northern Ireland; and in England: Newcastle, Sunderland, York, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Leicester, West Midlands Combined Authority, Essex, London Borough of Enfield, Greater London Authority, London Borough of Wandsworth, London Borough of Richmond, Swale Borough Council, and Reading Borough Council. Our interest is simple: if a city is on the A List, it should be active on the green skills front. We are looking for evidence. It is also surprising cities such as Bristol, Glasgow, Oxford, Cambridge etc. are not on this year’s list.
Rocky Mountain Institute Annual Report 2021-2022. Hope, Applied.
Rocky Mountain Institute, November 2022
A major source of authoritative information for 40 years, the RMI focus is on energy practices in the USA and so relevant to the rest of the world. One item which caught our attention is the list of progressive states: California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Washington. We are always looking for progressive cities, towns and states delivering on net zero step by step. The annual report also provides a useful marker of progress and the agenda which lies ahead.
Other
Bad Data: How governments, politicians, and the rest of us get misled by numbers
Georgina Sturge, November 2022
Yes, not a green skills book, but one which cuts across all analyses using numeric data. On skills and employment, the author picks out the BBC’s Automation Risk Calculator called ‘Will a robot take your job?’ and uses it, and comes to the conclusion: “These estimates can, and should, only be taken as a joke – a bit of statistical larking around – and yet they have been used in serious work by Parliament and the government.” Well worth the read.
Best Practice Case Studies: EUBA Members’ contribution to the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Green Agenda
European Bioeconomy Alliance, October 2022
An informative set of case studies (11 in all) in a green sector which gets under-reported.
Voluntary Carbon Markets and Offsetting
Climate Change Committee, October 2022
Curriculum materials at least and excellent for developing a wider understanding of the voluntary carbon market.
Natural Capital Report
Bunloit Rewilding (now Highlands Rewilding), November 2021
Part of Jeremy Leggett’s estate and what this report highlighted for us is the wide range of skills required to manage and assess the natural capital base of the countryside.
Clean Hydrogen’s Place in the Energy Transition
Carbon Tracker, October 2022
With four of England’s freeports developing major hydrogen projects, this report helps place hydrogen into context and its role in the transition to net zero.
Roadmap for the Future of Impact Investing: Reshaping Financial Markets
GIIN Global Impact Investing Network, 2022
Interesting report, and of interest to us as it shows how we can see the “green value” being created by the financial markets. Highlights a number of actions one of which is education and training. A forerunner of the https://netpurpose.com thinking for measuring and monitoring green activity and achievements.
Identifying Opportunities and Starting to Build a New Green Business in the Industrial Sector
McKinsey and Co, October 2022
Powerful reminder of the green markets and their potential. Highlights 11 here worth $12trillion by 2030: carbon management, industrials, waste, hydrogen, oil gas and fuels, agriculture & land use, consumers, water, power, buildings, and transport. For green markets also read demand for green skills.
Decarbonising India. Charting a pathway for sustainable growth.
McKinsey Sustainability, October 2022
National study with deep dives into power, automotive, aviation, cement, steel and agriculture. Also identifies a series of cross-cutting enablers: green hydrogen, materials circularity, natural capital solutions, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage. Chapter 4 (pages 188-207) goes into the employment side and the huge shifts foreseen. Helpfully puts the green transition in context of the digital adoption which is also taking place.
Five charts on hydrogen’s role in a net-zero future
McKinsey Sustainability, November 2022
A key document if are tracking hydrogen and its emerging importance to the transition to net zero. Taps into data across 680 large scale projects and indirectly highlights some of the emerging skills issues.
Bevolking 2050 in beeld: drukker, diverse ren dubbelrijs (Population 2050 in the picture. Busier, more diverse, double grey)
NIDI/CBS, July 2020
Takes a demographic view of society and the labour market, and suggests this approach would be a useful one to take in the UK where we could combine the expertise of the Office of Manpower Economics, the Unit for Future Skills, and the Migration Advisory Committee.
Sponsor The Green Edge
To keep The Green Edge free to subscribers, we’re asking for sponsorship. Click on the button below for further details. Thank you.