“It has driven the message that sustainability is not an option; it’s a must.” The economic collapse, he says, proves that the development model we were following has not borne out. “We need to find ways of gaining growth back, getting people back to work. Many of the green investments that can be made make economic sense, and they certainly make environmental sense.”

The cases where green jobs equal both green money and a healthy blue planet are the ones that Dr. Poschen hopes to successfully promote.