A notable shift is beginning to take place in the global workforce, particularly among engineers, who are leaving their well-paid big tech jobs in search of more fulfilling ones to stop climate change.
Specialists working for tech giants like Facebook and Google are quitting their jobs and giving up large compensation packages to put their knowledge and expertise to what they consider will be more beneficial for the planet and society at large.
Particularly employees in Silicon Valley, who have been witnessing firsthand the devastation of extreme wildfires in California, are now feeling the urge to take action to address the issue, often even taking a significant paycut to do it.
But beyond the strong desire to save the planet, tech experts are seeing the emerging climate tech industry as an opportunity to innovate, whereas in legacy tech companies there appears to no longer be real problems that require solving.
Relevant: Google.org Commits $30M To Support Climate Technology Organizations
And the shift isn’t happening only among employees.
Tech billionaires Bill Gates and Chriss Sacca have both launched climate venture capital funds that are focused on reducing emissions and decarbonizing the global economy.
Another example of a high-level executive changing their focus is Mike Schroepfer’s recent resignation from his role as CTO at Meta to start developing environmental solutions.
Relevant: Lowercarbon Capital Working On New Carbon Capture And Fusion Funds
As noted by co-founder and CEO of Climate Draft Jonathan Strauss in an interview for Protocol Climate, it isn’t all just for charity, though.
According to Strauss, climate solutions are currently the most promising and innovative area in tech with hefty investments pouring in and an enormous number of new vacancies opening up.
Talent directory for climate-related jobs Climatebase alone has seen more than 500,000 people apply for and find climate tech jobs in the last two years.
