Homeowners are replacing furnaces with heat pumps. Businesses are investing in carbon capture. Renewable energy has surpassed coal as the world’s largest source of electricity. The shift to a green economy is gaining momentum, partly thanks to Canada’s ambitious target to become carbon-neutral by 2050. Achieving this goal will require a new generation of workers to operate our system of solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal wells and nuclear plants. Job opportunities for green building technicians, sustainability consultants and energy auditors are essential—and increasing.

The push to combat climate change is set to boost the industry’s value to US$23 trillion globally by 2030. Here at home, Canada’s clean energy sector employed more than 466,000 workers in 2023 and generated $22 billion in employment income. Jobs in environmental sectors, including areas like carbon capture, critical mineral mining (retrieving minerals used in sustainable technologies), geothermal system installation and the electric vehicle industry are expected to grow by 3.4 per cent annually over the next decade—almost four times faster than........

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