In an era of rapid climate change and job loss driven by crisis, what will be the promising jobs of the future?
May our children live happily in a world of work that they enjoy, that is meaningful, that has vision, and that is environmentally friendly!

As the abnormal weather phenomenon worsens with each passing year, this question arises.
Greenhouse gas-induced global warming, storms, torrential rains, rapidly melting glaciers... Will these climate changes disappear from our lives in the future? What stable jobs will exist in this rapidly changing future? "Climate Change: What Teenagers Need to Know About Future Jobs" meticulously examines the history and reality of climate change, retracing the footsteps of this familiar phenomenon.
In addition, we will focus on the future world of work that will change due to the climate crisis and organize important factors to consider when choosing a future job around three keywords: artificial intelligence (AI), age, and climate tech.
What kind of jobs will we have in the future, where artificial intelligence replaces humans, human life expectancy increases, and climate-related technologies are on the rise? How can we prepare for the future to protect the planet and live in a happy environment? This book introduces five climate tech fields (cleantech, carbontech, ecotech, foodtech, and geotech) that will emerge due to climate change, for teenagers dreaming of future careers.
Here, we add attorney Kim Hye-ryun's legal story to provide advice to those who want to know more.
We are now at a huge turning point, where advances in artificial intelligence, advanced technology, and climate change are intertwined.
We must seize the new opportunities that change creates amidst the disappearing and emerging professions.
I hope that through this book, young people in the age of climate crisis can face a changing world and prepare for an eco-friendly future.

Unlike previous generations, you are at a crossroads, entering a world of work where you will have no choice but to make a living for the next 100 years, thanks to longer lifespans and the ubiquity of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence.
The time is approaching when we must prepare for the so-called 'century-long career.'
You may not choose a career that you can do for 100 years, but you can't say you've made a well-informed decision without also knowing the "huge inconvenience" that comes with it.

Fortunately, the combination of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and the climate tech industry, which addresses the climate crisis, is creating countless new jobs that previously didn't exist.
You will be the first generation invited to enter into amazingly creative careers, such as predicting disasters in advance with small satellites, cellular agriculture producing edible meat from animal cells, or capturing carbon to make concrete.
--- From "Prologue: The Unwalked Pilgrimage and a Hundred-Year Career"

Now, let's open the door to a glimpse into the next ten years. Perhaps, on the surface, we won't see as much change as we did in the past ten years.
But if we look closely, we will find that there are many more devices surrounding us.
Smaller smartphones could have more features, and autonomous shuttles could be more frequent in safe areas where regulations permit.
And the robots we see now in airports and restaurants will be helping us in various ways here and there.


For example, humanoid robots can help elderly people in nursing homes take their medication on time, play picture matching games with dementia patients, or serve as conversation partners to prevent language decline by playing word games.
These activities may be playing a significant role as care robots that help prevent the symptoms of dementia in adults from worsening.
Experts also predict that jobs we once considered promising will disappear, and new jobs will emerge due to the development of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.

--- From "Chapter 1: What kind of future will we encounter?" "02: The era of 100-year jobs begins"

In the "Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Crisis Response," enacted on March 25, 2022, South Korea defines climate change and climate crisis as follows:
“Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Framework Act defines climate change as a change in the climate system that occurs in addition to natural climate fluctuations observed over a considerable period of time due to changes in greenhouse gas concentrations caused by human activities.
Next, Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Framework Act states that a climate crisis is a situation in which climate change poses irreversible risks to human civilization, such as extreme weather, water shortages, food shortages, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and ecosystem collapse, requiring drastic greenhouse gas reductions.” (Ministry of Environment, 2021)
In this way, it can be said that the current situation on Earth has crossed the line to be simply called climate change.
Opinions are increasingly warning that the current situation is at the level of a 'climate crisis'.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in July 2023 that “the era of global warming is over and the era of global boiling has begun.”

--- From "Chapter 2 Climate Crisis, the Future Disappears", "01 Is the Climate Crisis Real?"

Everyone has a different perspective on world issues.
One could list countless considerations to determine direction.
Among the many considerations, I would like to introduce three keywords that will guide our response to the climate crisis.
These keywords are significant topics that many scholars studying the future have identified as unavoidable situations you will encounter in the future society you will live in.

The first keyword is ‘artificial intelligence AI’.
The changes in future society through artificial intelligence, which have already begun, seem like a 'future that has arrived'.
Just as a clear glass window allows us to see where a forest path leads, few would disagree that artificial intelligence will further transform our lives.
The second keyword is 'extension of human lifespan', which is approaching as an immutable future as the development of artificial intelligence.
What it means for human lifespans to be longer than they are now may be unclear at first.
However, with the help of science and technology such as artificial intelligence, human lifespan is also rapidly increasing, so we must consider what impact this will have on our future.
If you can prepare for the future path you're on now, choosing a future career will feel less daunting.
The third keyword is a somewhat unfamiliar term called ‘Climate Tech.’
This is a new word that means that rather than avoiding the climate crisis by just idly ignoring it, we will actively address various climate-related issues by incorporating cutting-edge science and technology and make improvements through industrial responses.
We'll explore what climate tech is, a field just beginning to emerge, and what new challenges and industries are emerging.

--- From "Chapter 3: Climate Crisis Era, Keywords for Choosing Future Jobs: AAC"

The challenges faced by our country's startup, Innobus, offer a glimpse into the future growth direction of eco-tech companies.
Innovus sees a new opportunity in the overflow of plastic and its growing social problems.
Innobus is a startup that collects waste plastic and recycles it into high-quality raw materials.
For example, we have developed an unmanned artificial intelligence PET bottle collection machine called 'Tssam RePet' and have already installed it in some universities, and are operating it by providing rewards to students who use it.

The AI-powered Tsusam Repet device is interesting in that it 'spits out' labeled waste plastic water bottles.
This feature has helped increase the recycling rate of waste plastic.
Previously, even if separated waste was collected, it was mostly useless because there was a lot of plastic that could not actually be recycled. However, we have a technology that determines whether it can be recycled in just 0.8 seconds after input, and we are putting it to practical use.
We are also expanding the recycling market by developing 'Tssam ReCup', which washes and collects disposable cups.
Innobus, which aims to create new economic value and continuously take on new challenges by applying cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence to waste plastic, is attracting attention as a representative eco-tech company.

--- From "Chapter 4: Climate Tech Era, World of Future Jobs", "03 Ecotech Aiming for Environmental Protection and Sustainability"

Recently, the climate tech sector, which actively responds to the climate crisis and creates new industrial opportunities, is emerging thanks to the advancement of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Moreover, with the increase in lifespan, we will have to live on the planet called Earth for over 100 years.

So, what kind of work should I do to make a living? In the past, asking this question was the first step toward preparing for the future.
But in the age of climate crisis, we must understand that if we fail to maintain an appropriate global average temperature and prevent runaway warming, this seemingly gift of extended lifespan could turn into a disaster.
We must design future jobs based on this awareness of the climate crisis.

--- From "01 The Door to the Future is Closing in the Era of Climate Crisis" in "Chapter 5: Preparing for My 100-Year Career in the Era of Climate Crisis"