Even though examples of green, sustainable technologies are as old as lazing and lounging in a Roman hot tub, green tech has experienced a big boom in the last few years as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution threaten our planet. By green technology, we mean business practices and innovative solutions to solving environmental issues and restoring the Earth's pre-industrial revolution state. This includes renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, waste management, and recycling systems.

As more people call for a future in which technology actively helps towards the health and vitality of our planet, the industry has attracted huge investment capital. 

This means excellent job opportunities and significant financial gain, while also helping a global cause. In this article, we’ll explain the economic impact of green tech and give you some examples of green IT career options so you, too, can join the green tech shift.

♻️ What is green tech?

While occasionally used interchangeably with the terms clean tech or environmental tech, green tech refers to any technology designed to be environmentally friendly or sustainable to reduce our overall environmental impact. 

Clean tech, on the other hand, focuses on making production processes to be more efficient, more eco-friendly, and with a smaller carbon footprint. Environmental tech explicitly addresses issues resulting from human-induced climate change, and is focused on getting to “net-zero,” which you’ve probably read about. Just remember that the terms overlap, and some outlets mention net-zero as part of clean tech, and that’s alright.

Green tech can be environmentally friendly through its production process or supply chain. It also references clean energy production, the use of alternative fuels, and any technology that aims to be less damaging than fossil fuels. Think renewable energy, sustainable transportation, waste management and recycling, or energy efficiency solutions. The end goal of green technologies is not only to lower carbon emissions, conserve natural resources, and find alternatives to traditional practices, but to restore some of the harm we have done eventually. 

Some companies are into green, clean or environmental practices without explicitly marketing green tech. For example, Microsoft claims they’ll reach negative carbon status a few years from now and then remove all the carbon they should be held accountable for a few decades from now.

Green tech investment and industry growth stats

Even though the green technology market is relatively new, it caught the attention of investors when teenage citizens became rockstars for standing up against foul climate policies. For instance, the UK Government has recently set aside £134 million to help businesses working on clean growth projects, developing new technologies, and creating new jobs. It's predicted that by 2030, there could be around 694,000 jobs related to low-carbon and renewable energy in the UK. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also suggests that moving towards a greener economy might create 24 million jobs worldwide by 2030, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Recent reports confirm that the global green technology and sustainability market is expected to grow from $16.50 billion in 2023 to $61.92 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 20.8%. Investments in energy transition technologies worldwide have nearly tripled since 2015, surpassing one trillion U.S. dollars in 2022 for the first time. However, to stay on track and limit global temperatures to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, annual global investments in all transition technologies must quadruple between 2023 and 2050.

Types of green tech

There are thousands of emerging green tech advancements in almost any field. Here are some of the biggest trends at the moment:

Green information technology

Green information technology refers to applying environmentally sustainable practices in designing, developing, using, and disposing of information and communication technology systems. The aim is to minimise the environmental impact associated with the entire life cycle of IT products and services. This includes incorporating energy-efficient servers, cooling systems, and peripherals. Using renewable energy in data centres, E-waste management, and green cloud computing. Ever wondered what happens to your keypad cellphones when they’re gone? There are people winning prestige off dealing with those.

Climate change mitigation

When addressing climate change, green technology is centred around advancing and implementing renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal power. These technologies utilise natural elements to produce electricity, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels that emit carbon. Additionally, adopting sustainable agriculture practices, such as vertical farming and the application of biochar, which is called black gold, a witty play on words on the old moniker for oil, plays a role in slashing emissions.

Fuel cells

You're likely familiar with electric vehicles that use batteries, but there's another type of less-marketed environment-friendly roadster called a fuel cell electric vehicle, or FCEV. Instead of relying on batteries, these cars use hydrogen as their fuel. This makes them more efficient than traditional combustion-powered vehicles, and the best part is that they don't emit harmful pollutants.

‍

Some experts predict that by the year 2050, hydrogen could be the power source for over 400 million cars, around 20 million buses, and more than 20% of passenger ships. Although hydrogen fuel is still quite expensive because splitting the oxygen and hydrogen molecules in water is demanding, companies are betting it’ll be considerably cheaper soon. Private spacefaring companies are also reportedly exploring hydrogen to get commercial flights out of Earth. It sounds outlandish, and it probably is, but with cash and bright minds playing a role, you will most likely witness your neighbours getting off the planet on a hydrogen ship.

The Best Job Search Websites for Green Jobs in 2024 →

👩‍💻 IT Jobs in green tech

As the future of tech is undoubtedly green, let us have a look at some IT jobs that can have a powerful impact on the journey to a greener planet.

Cloud computing engineer

Sustainable cloud computing specialises in creating environmentally friendly architecture solutions for cloud-based services. This role entails designing and implementing energy-efficient cloud computing systems that minimise resource usage and decrease carbon emissions. Green data centres are service facilities that prioritise using energy-efficient technologies to manage, store, and operate data effectively. With Microsoft pledging to suck up and remove the carbon they’ve put out into the atmosphere, you can expect much more than just a pine tree growing by a server rack.

Data Scientist

Data scientists turn raw data into actionable insights, using analytical, statistical, and programming skills to enhance business processes. In renewable energy, data scientists specialise in analysing and interpreting data related to sources like wind or solar. The excellent bit about pivoting to a green data science role is that the shift to the new sector could be tidy and neat, since you'll be dealing with data altogether. It’s not like you’ve been using fuel and suddenly have to pump in hydrogen.

Browse Data science jobs in Germany and Europe →

Project Manager

A manager for eco-friendly software projects oversees software development initiatives primarily focusing on environmental sustainability. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to create sustainable solutions aimed at reducing energy consumption, minimising waste, and lowering carbon emissions. These considerations apply throughout the development process and are integrated into the final product itself.

IT business analyst

A green IT Business Analyst examines business processes and methodologies to spot chances for lessening environmental impact. So, for example, a green tech IT analyst would suggest shifting to vendors cutting their carbon emissions. Yes, you got it right — this role is fantastic if you like collecting rounds of applause on social networks. Everyone will comment on a post showing how you’re now contributing to a greener industry.

AI and machine learning engineers

Using AI in different areas and economies will help us better deal with the effects of the environment and climate change. For example, it will make forecasting and responding to weather and natural disasters easier. According to research from PwC UK, using AI could also lead to a 4% decrease in worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. That's equal to reducing the yearly emissions of three countries — Australia, Canada, and Japan — combined.

Consider working for a green company

At WeAreDevelopers, we feature ESG-conscious companies that could land you a green tech job. When we picked our top Munich startups last year and pinned up a medal board, our top two companies from the up-and-coming category were green companies. So, get on board and work green. Create a free account and check out our job boards, narrow down your search, and you could become a software engineer for a budding (pun intended) clean tech firm!