The Editor’s Post: Tree-hugging lawyers and ocean-restoring sea rangers

The climate writer who retrained as an electrician. The Easyjet pilot who quit and became a climate activist. The former ExxonMobil staffer who now works in cleantech. Stories of so-called “climate quitters” are, happily, on the rise.

But a planet-friendly career doesn’t need to be extreme, as some of our recent stories show. Earlier this year, we profiled some of the lawyers leading the way for nature – and not necessarily by sitting in a tree in protest, although that’s one option. Many others are working within existing systems, for example by helping progressive company boards to integrate the perspectives of ‘Nature’; or by helping major institutions and firms to futureproof their contracts through climate-smart clauses. As corporate lawyer Matt Gingell puts it: “That's the magic of it, the simplicity of it: it’s aligned with what you do already.”
 

For others, it’s about making it as easy as possible for others to forge an environmentally-friendly career. Sea Ranger Service is firmly focused on restoring our oceans to better health, and for founder Wietse van der Werf, the obvious way to achieve this is to train up and deploy young people, from areas that typically face high unemployment.

Sometimes the entrepreneurs who have already made the switch into sustainability realise they need to also influence the wider industry – like “climate quitter” Gavin Fernie-Jones, who alongside his sportswear social enterprise has also created a network of organisations committed to making outdoor sports more sustainable and accessible.

If you’re taking some time this August to plan your next career move, I hope this week’s stories will offer some inspiration and a glimpse of just how many opportunities are out there. Happy reading!

Top reads: discover the pioneers who reshape the planet

Earth Fixers: Tree-huggers, board advisers, contract shapers: The lawyers leading the way for nature 

My impact career: ‘You can’t compete your way out of a climate crisis’ – Gavin Fernie-Jones 

Earth Fixers: All hands on deck: The social enterprise deploying young people to protect our seas 

Top photo: corporate lawyer Matt Gingell pictured with his two children. Gingell is the founder and chair of Chancery Lane Project, a nonprofit that provides clauses that encourage rapid decarbonisation and reduced climate impact that anyone can insert into commercial agreements and legal documents. Each of the clauses is named after a child.

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