How to survive a sustainability recession

The sustainability sector is facing a slowdown, pushback, and political reframing. In this episode, Emma Burlow explains how to stay relevant, find work, and avoid burning out when sustainability knowledge alone no longer sets you apart.

In this episode

• Why some sustainability work is being sidelined, rebadged, or called something else 02:59
• Why narrowing your niche can lead to more work than presenting yourself as a generalist 04:29
• The transferable skills that now matter alongside sustainability expertise 05:57
• Why “passion” won’t win you work, and what clients actually need 09:40
• How procurement, risk, and other existing skills can become your sustainability advantage 11:47
• Why stabilising your workload and energy matters when the sector feels uncertain 13:10
• The three pots to protect: profession, obsession, and decompression 14:14

Key takeaways

• Niche down around something people need and are willing to pay for.
• Build skills in communication, relationship development, analysis, problem-solving, resilience, risk, and leadership for change.
• Use your existing professional strengths. “Every job’s a climate job.”
• Don’t let sustainability become your entire identity or your only source of energy.
• Make room for genuine decompression. Reading another climate book doesn’t count.

“You need to be shit hot at your job.” 10:33

“We are no good to our sector exhausted.” 13:22

Not Sustainable

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Not Sustainable