Electrification is happening, and these jobs are already hot, industry says

Welcome to our weekly newsletter where we highlight environmental trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world.

Hey, it's Emily. We hear so much about the energy transition and green jobs. As the mom of a high school student, I'm extra curious about what the jobs of the future will be. We've already profiled geothermal drillers and EV mechanics. Here's another kind of opportunity. 

This week:

• These green workers are already in demand
• The Big Picture: The Kelvin wave is coming
• Why are 3 trees planted upside down at Fredericton Botanic Garden?

Want to be part of the energy transition? These workers are already in demand

Laura Tyrrell is an electrician apprentice at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., who recently won a bursary from Electricity Human Resources Canada. (Submitted by Laura Tyrrell)

When Laura Tyrrell was a teenager in Alberta, she sometimes accompanied her father on jobs wiring condos.

"I loved it," she recalled. "Going to work with him was fun."

Years later, after working in fields from carpentry to health care while raising three kids, she decided she needed a change. She realized she had always wanted to be an electrician and contacted the local union. 

Before long, Tyrrell was an apprentice working on construction of the new Cowichan District Hospital on Vancouver Island, set to be the first all-electric hospital in B.C. She was working on things she never knew electricians did, such as off-site prefab construction and installation of equipment ranging from medical sterilization machines to rooftop solar panels.

She was so excited about the solar panels that she sent me photos as soon as I first got in touch with her.

"That was a really neat part to be a part of," she recalled.

Solar panels on the roof of the new Cowichan District Hospital in B.C. (Submitted by Laura Tyrrell)

She's currently doing some of the classroom work that’s mandatory to become an electrician at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, with the help of a bursary from Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC), a labour market intelligence organization for the electricity industry.

According to a recent EHRC report, about 28,000 new employees will be needed nationwide in the electricity sector by 2028, equivalent to 25 per cent of the current labour force. Most of the growth in the past five years has been concentrated in renewable energy, but nearly half the sector's 34 core occupations will face labour shortages.

They range from power-line technicians who build, maintain and expand electrical transmission and distribution networks to electrical engineers responsible for things like grid planning and integration of renewable energy.

Hydro workers perform maintenance on power lines in Renfrew County, Ont., on July 8, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Alex Stephens, director of programs at the Future Skills Centre, a federally funded workforce development think-tank, said most future green jobs are actually existing jobs that integrate sustainability. 

Electricians are probably the most in-demand, he added, and they're "absolutely essential" for the transition to greener technologies such as heat pumps, EVs and renewable energy.

"In fact, those [electrician] shortages are probably at this point a significant, if not the most important, constraint … on reaching the goals down that sort of energy transition pathway."

What's behind the labour shortage? Stephens said the workforce is aging, and a "narrowing of the pipeline of people" who are choosing to go into the trades. He blames factors like perceptions that they're not well paid or not welcoming to certain groups, such as women.

In fact, the EHRC says the average hourly wage in the utilities sector was $55.43, working out to $115,000 a year, for a full-time worker, well above the Canadian average. And the organization is trying to address the shortage of women with programs like the bursary awarded to Tyrell.

Another recipient this year was Jeniishaa Bhagudeva, an electrical engineering student at McMaster University in Hamilton, who recently completed an internship with Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator. There, she worked on things like forecasting power demand and managing outages.

"I found that really interesting, since I really like solving problems," she recalled. One barrier that the industry has recognized is the required interruption of work terms to do classroom work — something that Tyrell delayed for financial reasons until receiving the bursary.

A new construction electrician program at Vancouver Community College is trying to address this by allowing the classroom training to be delivered part-time and online without work interruptions.

Construction Electrician students complete practical training at Vancouver Community College. (Vancouver Community College)

Brett Griffiths, dean of the college's school of trades, technology and design, said with all the EV charging and renewable energy projects in B.C., about 5,000 electrical job openings are expected in the next five years. And in his province, he says there's no shortage of interest from students — in fact, there are long wait lists for training. 

Meanwhile, Tyrrell, who expects to graduate from her program in 2028, says she has so far found the industry very welcoming and she "can't wait to learn more."

"There's so much math in it and science and it's fun — you wire up a whole bunch of lights and turn them on. It's like Christmas."

— Emily Chung

Old issues of What on Earth? are here. The CBC News climate page is here. 

Check out our podcast and radio show. In our latest episode: Depending on who you ask, AI could usher in a green utopia — or the apocalypse. Between those two extremes is a much less hypothetical reality: the technology’s huge impact on our environment now. But tech leaders like NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang suggest it's all worth it, because AI can solve climate problems in the future. So when it comes to emissions cuts, what’s AI done for us lately? And what’s at stake for the climate as more and more chatbots come online?

What On Earth? drops new podcast episodes every Wednesday and Saturday. You can find them on your favourite podcast app or on demand at CBC Listen. The radio show airs Sundays at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Check the CBC News Climate Dashboard for live updates on record-breaking weather and current conditions across the country. Set your location to find out how today's temperatures compare to historical trends.

(CBC)

Reader feedback

Last week, Johanna Wagstaffe shared what she learned from a gathering of meteorologists at Climate Week in New York, including the value of finding community while communicating the growing risks of climate change.

That resonated with Heather Wheeliker, who recently retired from working on climate issues for the City of Edmonton. She wrote that support for climate action there "remains strong, even if that support is 'out-screamed' by the naysayers." Her message for those still doing the work: "Thank you for not giving up on us!"

Robert Spratt brought a perspective spanning generations. He’s been an environmental advocate since the 1960s, including with one of Canada’s early environmental organizations, SPEC. Decades later, he’s thinking about the world his grandchildren will inherit: "So please keep carrying on. Every voice matters."

And Melodie Wynne appreciated the sense of connection Johanna found among fellow meteorologists in New York: "Great to have 'community,' isn’t it?"

Got questions, comments, or just want to share something? Write us at whatonearth@cbc.ca (and send photos there, too!)

The Big Picture: The Kelvin wave is coming

There's a giant underwater wave making its way from the equatorial Pacific all the way to Canada's West Coast. And it could raise sea levels by a foot or more.

It's called the Kelvin wave, and it's caused by shifting winds during an El Niño year. The wave, which is more like an underwater bulge of water than a giant surface wave, hits the Pacific coast of the Americas and then travels upward to the U.S. and Canada.

Although the Kelvin wave, like El Niño, occurs naturally, it's happening on top of human-caused climate change, which is already worsening storms and raising sea levels. 

I wrote about how scientists are worried that adding the Kelvin wave to that mix will lead to coastal erosion and flooding, and feed into extreme weather in 2027, which is now widely expected to become the hottest year on record.

— Inayat Singh

Hot and bothered: Provocative ideas from around the web

• Heat waves are killing coral reefs, and scientists have been trying to come up with solutions. Now, they've shown that a very simple and obvious kind of sun protection that we use on land can prevent — and sometimes reverse — bleaching for two Atlantic coral species.

• Fruit from privately owned trees often goes to waste. Check out this video to find out how volunteers in Ottawa are trying to change that.

• EVs are much more efficient than gas cars. So does it matter how efficient they are? Yes, it does. Electric Autonomy explains why, and lists which models are most efficient, based on a recent Ontario test of 22 EV models by the Canadian Automobile Association.

• For the first time in 100 years, salmon may be able to return to B.C.'s Skagit River. The dam that blocked their passage is getting an upgrade to include a way for fish to get past the dam, The Narwhal reports.

• Technology Review has compiled a list of 10 climate tech companies from around the world, including Canada, that are worth keeping an eye on. Here's the list, including technologies ranging from energy storage to wind turbines to flood barriers.

Why are 3 trees planted upside down at Fredericton Botanic Garden?

Upside-down ash trees stand in the Stumpery at the Fredericton Botanic Garden. The trees were removed after being affected by emerald ash borer. (Ian Curran/CBC)

At the Fredericton Botanic Garden, visitors may expect to find trees planted firmly in the ground.

Instead, three ash trees are standing upside down.

The unusual installation, known as the Stumpery, has become one of the garden’s most popular spots for photos and selfies, despite starting as little more than a joke. The trees were among 14 ash trees the garden at the west end of Odell Park had to remove after they were infected by the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that attacks trees.

The garden wanted to make sure the trees were not simply wasted, said Linda Stephenson, executive director of the Fredericton Botanic Garden.

"Some of the trees were cut up into firewood that was given to people that could benefit from it," Stephenson said. "Some have gone to a mill to be planed to make benches in the park."

Three of the trees, each about 14 feet tall, were turned into the Stumpery.

Stephenson said volunteers Eldon Toner and Matt Furlotte had heard about stumperies before and decided to create one at the garden.

Then Toner suggested taking the idea a step further. He turned the trees upside down.

"Why did we turn it upside down? I have no idea," Toner said. "We just did it for a joke."

The joke has attracted considerably more attention than Toner expected.

Stephenson said people have stopped at the garden’s resource centre to talk about the installation, while photos of it have circulated on social media.

"It’s become the selfie site in the garden," she said.

Not just for pictures

Some visitors see more than just an unusual photo opportunity.

Liam Jackson, a Fredericton resident who visited the Stumpery, said he liked the idea of giving the diseased trees a second purpose.

"If these were sick trees, now they’ve got a second life," he said.

Stephenson said people have also interpreted the installation as an art piece, although she said there is no single meaning behind it.

"Since none of us really know what the meaning of it is, I think that’s sort of neat, that it means something different to different people," she said.

For Toner, the artistic interpretation was not part of the original plan.

He said he was working nearby when he overheard visitors discussing the upside-down trees and suggesting the garden had an artist in residence.

WATCH | Turning damaged trees upside down:

Turning damaged trees upside down

October 6|

Duration

1:58

A serious tree disease

"They noticed me and they just asked me a few questions about it and who thought of this," he said. "And I said, 'Well, you’re looking at him.'"

While the Stumpery is playful, the problem that created it is serious.

The emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees across Canada since its arrival in the country was confirmed almost 25 years ago.

Toner estimates there are between 500 and 600 ash trees on the 56-acre garden property. He expects many could eventually have to be removed because of the beetle, which was first detected in the city in 2021.

"In the next 10 years, they’re either going to be falling down in the woods or cut down for safety reasons," he said.

Stephenson said the garden is already seeing more ash trees affected by the insect and expects managing them to be a continuing challenge.

The garden plans to give the Stumpery another transformation next spring, adding flowers and vines around the trees.

Stephenson encourages people to visit the garden and see the installation for themselves.

The garden is open until dusk and there is no admission charge. 

— Polina Kozlova 

Thanks for reading. If you have questions, criticisms or story tips, please send them to whatonearth@cbc.ca.