By Suzanne Bearne
Business reporter.
Todd Smith is the image source.
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Todd Smith is a campaigner for the Extinction Rebellion.
As a young boy, Todd Smith watched the Red Arrows and knew that he wanted to fly when he was older.
After five years of training, costing $100,000, followed by two years working as a flying instructor, he was able to land his dream job as an airline pilot.
Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019.
Mr Smith became more concerned about the threat of climate change and the aviation sector's carbon emissions by this time.
He says that he was met with an uncomfortable conflict after connecting the dots.
I had a lot of debt and wanted to get involved in the Extinction Rebellion, but knew it would be career suicide. It would be easier to pay off the debt if you returned to the industry.
Mr Smith, who lives in the town of Reading, decided to quit his high-flying career because of the swine flu.
Todd Smith is the image source.
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Mr Smith's dream was to become a pilot.
The 32-year-old says that he likes flying and visiting exotic destinations and earning a decent salary. How could I prioritize my needs when we need to think about how to tackle the biggest threat to humanity?
Mr Smith is a climate activist. He is the co- founder of Safe Landing, a movement of climate-conscious aviation sector workers.
It was a tough decision to give up his dream job. I'm doing this out of desperation. I'm in a huge amount of debt and have been struggling with finances.
Taking action has made me feel better.
The UN secretary-general said the study was "code red". The UK pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. The low-carbon economy will require a lot of growth and investment.
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The impact of climate change will cause more flooding, according to the UN.
Mr Smith is not the only one who left a previous job due to concerns about the environment.
After working in the oil and gas industry for 10 years, Nader Beltaji moved to a low-carbon career. He is a project manager at RWE.
At the time, there weren't many opportunities that caught my attention, but I did my master's thesis on solar power and I wanted to go into that direction. The landscape has changed completely.
Mr Beltaji is currently working on an offshore wind farm in north east England.
"Climate change is very much in the news, and offshore wind is part of the UK's big energy strategy, so it's good to be part of that, and know you're working on delivering the targets," he says. It feels like oil and gas is dying.
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Beltaji used to work in oil and gas.
The UK's dairy industry is known for being carbon intensive. The dairy sector's global carbon dioxide emissions are estimated by the UN. The aviation sector's pre-pandemic 905m tonnes is more than that.
Ms Bowcutt was operations manager for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers for two years before quitting to work for The vegan society.
She said that a vegan diet is the biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth.
Ms Bowcutt said she was starting to feel uneasy about the dairy industry and its practices after watching a session at a work conference about the optimum time to take calves away from their mothers.
It all felt unnecessary in terms of animal welfare and the environment. I wondered if there was an equivalent organisation for vegan people, and the job came up.
Ms Bowcutt started at the vegan society last year. I have more faith in the work I'm doing. It's easier to promote a subject matter I really believe in, and I can see the benefits.
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Ms Bowcutt has stopped using dairy products.
Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Denis Fernando argues that the move to low-carbon jobs is necessary.
"We need drastic action to make things happen, so we'll see more of a push towards green workforces," he says. Green jobs create jobs. Everyone wins.
There's a strong understanding towards moving towards green and low-carbon jobs, and an overall trend of people who want to do it, but we are deficient in terms of green skills.
The government policy could do more to quickly get more apprentices so they can start building skills. It can't be done unless the government gives more money.
New Economy explores how businesses, trade, economies and working life are changing fast.
The UK is capitalising on the green industrial revolution, with over 56,000 clean jobs created and supported in the UK's green industries since the launch of the prime minister's Ten Point Plan.
There are factories in Wales and Scotland that make electric vehicles, hydrogen facilities in Teesside, and floating offshore wind farms.
To support new British industries, green jobs and economic growth, we are ensuring people have the right skills for employment in Britain's new low carbon industries through measures ranging from green skills boot camps to dedicated apprenticeships.
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The UK has created over 50,000 clean jobs in the green industries.
Mr Fernando says green jobs can involve millions of people and can reduce the impact on the climate.
"Anything from working on renewable wind turbines or ecology, to bicycle repair, customer service at a railway station or a warehouse manager for a freight warehouse going by rail rather than air is a green job."
We need to think of the big agenda which everyone can participate in.
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