According to workers in the UK environment sector, staff shortages, a lack of specialist personnel, and low pay are major barriers to achieving net zero.
The trade union Prospect, many members of which work in the climate and environment sector, received more than 500 responses to a survey on workplace trends.
The study found that widespread shortages of expert staff and reductions in specialist personnel in recent years had seriously affected workload levels. Four in 10 workers said they had seen a reduction in the numbers of expert staff in the past year, and 35% said they had experienced a significant increase in workload.
More than 100 respondents provided additional comments, like this: "I could be paid four times as much for my skills in a different industry – one that is bad or indifferent to the environment. We can’t solve environmental problems or net zero unless we have people to do the work".
The reduction in expertise has led to important tasks being assigned to inexperienced staff, according to respondents, with 36% saying specialist jobs are being allocated to untrained workers.
Low pay is a significant concern across the sector, which has a large percentage of specialised and highly educated staff. Despite the skilled nature of many roles and 20% of survey participants having a PhD or equivalent, 38% of respondents report earning £30,000 or less.
One respondent described feeling "underpaid, undervalued, understaffed, overworked," while another reported they "work in a role which is crucial to the organisation yet receive one of the lowest salaries. I have to do regular overtime every month to survive and as a result have a poor work/life balance. It affects my mental and physical health".
Women are disproportionately affected by low pay in the sector, with the average earnings of female workers in the £25,000 to £30,000 bracket, compared with £30,000 to £35,000 for male counterparts.
Almost half of those questioned report no room for career progression in their current role. One respondent described the "demoralising" effect of a workplace with a "lack of reward for expertise gained over time", and where "programme managers are valued more highly than international experts".
37% of respondents cited government policy as the primary obstacle to preserving the natural environment and achieving net zero carbon emissions. Other barriers include:
One respondent said: "We are being eroded and demoralised over time by the lack of ambition in the government to actually support us". Another described their workplace as "supportive and inclusive" but said it was "abundantly clear that underfunding and understaffing limit the extent of the impact that we can have on actually making concrete progress on conservation and restoration of nature. The great work that’s been done so far with such limited resources is a testament to the dedication and passion of long-term employees who contribute so much to creating a positive workplace culture".
Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, said the survey was "invaluable to understanding what is happening at the frontline of the fight to tackle the climate crisis. They are telling us that the paring back of expert roles in their teams is leaving them increasingly burnt out".
"Despite the government talking up the potential of green jobs, it is failing to put in place the funding needed to make working in the natural environment the aspirational career that it should be".
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