The Countdown Generation: From Climate Anxiety to Career Purpose

I’ll admit, I’m one of those people who sometimes can’t grasp the gravity of a situation until it’s written out in bold letters in front of me–or, in this case, bold numbers. 

The Climate Clock is a visual tool designed to show how much time humanity has left to act before global warming exceeds 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, when the worst effects of climate change become irreversible. Displayed on buildings looming tall above the pedestrians in cities like New York, Glasgow, and Seoul, the digital countdown remains a steady reminder of how increasingly important it’s becoming to start making a positive change in our impact on Earth. 

Photo Credits: NYC PIX11

I first heard of the Climate Clock during  quarantine in 2020, which was when I started to understand the urgency of climate change more clearly. A few years later, when I visited New York and saw the clock ticking under 5 years, I felt deeply anxious. Now, in college, I’m choosing to transform that anxiety into action, and committing myself to working towards a career that ensures the clock never hits zero as late as possible. 

But I’m not alone. While the Climate Clock was a personal catalyst for me, many other Gen-Z students and young professionals–each driven by their own motivations–are also increasingly pursuing careers in sustainability, energy, and environmental policy. 

Gen-Z’s Sustainability Standards 

It begins with personal decisions. A 2024 Deloitte survey of Gen-Z and Millennials,gathering insights from over 22,800 participants across 44 countries, found that 62% of Gen-Zs felt anxious or worried about climate change in the past month. In accordance with that, 64% of Gen-Zs were willing to pay more to purchase environmentally sustainable products or services. Because of this, businesses have seen sustainability as a major factor in their supply chains more than ever before. Gen-Z wants businesses to both have sustainability claims and prove them, leading to a global push for corporate transparency. Consumer loyalty is one of the critical factors in a business’s success, and the strategy to earning that loyalty is evolving. In essence, companies that demonstrate a transparent and eco-conscious supply chain are more likely to earn Gen-Z’s trust–and their business.

In the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations) industry, about one-third of professionals say Gen-Z is playing a major role in pushing their companies to become more sustainable. The same pattern shows up in design and manufacturing. Depending on the sector, between 29% and 40% of leaders and experts in architecture, engineering, construction, design, manufacturing, and media say Gen-Z is driving sustainability forward, with industrial machinery changing the most from the generation’s influence. In media and entertainment, the trend is, encouragingly, just as prominent: over 40% of people working in film, television, and gaming say younger professionals are a key force behind their companies’ environmental efforts. 

Photo Credits: Wall Street Journal

Values in the Workplace

And it doesn’t end with just their loyalty. Roughly one in five Gen-Z and Millennial workers have already changed jobs or industries because of environmental concerns–and about a quarter more plan to do the same. When considering a new employer, many are taking action: one in four have researched a company’s environmental policies before accepting a role, and a third plan to do so moving forward. In fact, 72% of Gen-Z professionals say a company’s environmental stance is a key factor in their job decisions. 

Gen-Z integrates sustainability into choices that go beyond just their personal purchases. They make a conscious effort to bring their values into their professional lives.  In line with the age-old saying, “Employees make the company,” sustainability is steadily becoming a core corporate value.

Photo Credits: World Economic Forum

Climate Careers

Industries, career pathways, and companies centered mainly around the environment are becoming more popular among Gen-Z, who will make up more than a third of the workforce by 2050. Since 2015, demand for green skills – such as environmental policy and compliance knowledge – has jumped by 40%. However, only 13% of the global workforce is currently equipped to meet it. That gap is both a labor shortage and an opening for Gen-Z to step into roles that are both urgently needed and deeply aligned with their values. Many of us are searching for work that matters, and work that addresses the climate crisis head-on, while building something sustainable for the future. Green jobs offer just that: long-term career stability, opportunities for growth, and the chance to make a tangible impact.

Green jobs include roles ranging from Solar Energy Installation and System Engineers to Sustainability Specialists. And, as the World Economic Forum reports, climate change is driving the green job creation that Gen-Z is seeking. By 2030, climate change adaptation alone is projected to add 5 million net jobs globally, making it the third-largest contributor to employment growth. Climate mitigation efforts, on the other hand, which focus on reducing future climate impacts, are expected to create an additional 3 million jobs globally. Within the broader climate and sustainability space, Gen-Z is stepping into a wide range of roles–from renewable energy and green infrastructure to environmental policy and climate tech. In the tech sphere, emerging technologies in energy generation, storage, and distribution are set to generate another 1 million roles, ranking just behind AI and data-driven tech.

As the World Economic Forum reports, green roles are some of the fastest growing jobs this year, with roles like Environmental Engineers, Renewable Energy Engineers, and Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Specialists seeing growth alongside more traditional roles like Software Developers and Delivery Services Drivers. This signals that environmental roles aren’t just a trend, they’re here to make a lasting impact on the job market for the foreseeable future. 

Photo Credits: WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025

Education

As the link between the employee and the employer, education is also following the herd. Post-secondary institutions have undertaken the responsibility of providing their students with the tools needed to be successful in their fields of interest, including environmental fields. As a result, U.S. colleges are creating climate change programs to meet the demand of students who want to pursue green jobs. Several colleges were early to jump on the change before 2020, offering programs, majors, minors, and certificates specifically dedicated to climate change. Some of these include the University of Washington, Yale University, Utah State University, University of Montana, Northern Vermont University, and UCLA. 

Columbia University launched its Climate School in 2020, with a graduate degree in climate and society, and it’s now developing similar undergraduate offerings. In just the past four years, more institutions have hopped on the train: Plymouth State in New Hampshire, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Stanford, and MIT are now offering studies related to climate change. UChicago is another example, having just launched their new undergraduate major in climate and sustainable growth in February of this year. With many of the world’s greatest discoveries being made in the labs and classrooms of universities, these institutions are striving to help propel students to the forefront of scientific inquiry aimed at solving some of Earth’s most daunting ecological issues. Labs like the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at University of California, Berkeley are leading the charge. 

Gen-Z isn’t waiting for leadership to catch up to climate anxiety. Instead, we’re becoming the leaders. Whether it’s demanding corporate transparency, reshaping supply chains, switching careers for ethical reasons, or pioneering new fields in clean energy and climate tech, we’re proving that sustainability isn’t a side concern–it’s a core value. Jobs that were once, and possibly still, seen as less urgent by older generations are now seen as critical by Gen-Z, who consciously acknowledge the urgency of climate change. Venturing outside the traditional realms of law, medicine, engineering, etc., climate and sustainability studies and careers are carving out a new pathway in the world–one that is just as necessary as its traditional counterparts. 

What if the most powerful legacy our generation leaves behind isn’t just technological innovation, but a cultural reset around what matters most? And if sustainability becomes the standard, not the exception, what new definitions of success will we create? Will job interviews start asking about climate literacy? Will business schools teach regenerative economics alongside finance? Will impact reports matter just as much as annual reports? For many in Gen-Z, the ultimate goal isn’t just to climb the corporate ladder–it’s to question why the ladder exists in the first place and to change its direction so that we can build the right solutions for our most daunting generational challenges, like climate change.