Generation Z Is “Generation Green”

For the next decade’s workforce, saving the environment and taking Earth-friendly jobs are top priorities.

Ninety-two percent of Generation Z members believe climate change is inevitable, but 75 percent also believe it can be stopped or at least slowed down, according to a survey by global data tech firm Morning Consult. The poll of 1,000 members of Gen Z between the ages of 13 and 23 also shows that 8 percent of respondents think Climate Change is beyond our control. For 2 percent, climate change isn’t happening at all.

The up-and-coming group of voters and workforce members are also thinking environmentally when it comes to jobs. Participating in sectors whose emissions contribute to climate change holds little appeal. Instead, many respondents with plans to pursue careers in various sectors of the energy industry are considering solar and wind energy, at 50 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

Emissions-based industries such as coal and natural gas were last resort, with only 15 percent and 29 percent of interested respondents considering jobs in those respective fields, according to Morning Consult.

For coal and fuel, this finding is troublesome, as it mirrors surveys conducted by those two industries. These energy executives are now extremely concerned about how to attract new talent in the coming decades, Morning Consult notes.