GREEN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE LOW-CARBON ECONOMY

Abstract

This academic article presents the concepts and theories of Green Human Resource Development and analyzes the role of human resource development in driving organizations toward a low-carbon economy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the context of Thai organizations facing increasing pressures from environmental regulations and international Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards. The article primarily employs the Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) framework, examining both human resource management processes including recruitment, training, performance appraisal, rewards, and organizational culture and psychological mechanisms based on the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) framework. Green Psychological Climate theory and the Sustainable Human Resource Management framework are also incorporated as complementary perspectives. The analysis indicates that human resource development should not be viewed merely as a temporary training program but rather as a strategic transformation of the entire human resource management system, with a green psychological climate serving as a mediating factor influencing successful implementation. However, Thai organizations continue to face five major challenges: shortages of environmental skills, organizational cultures that are not conducive to sustainability, insufficient investment, gaps between policy and actual implementation, and the absence of systematic performance measurement mechanisms. Accordingly, the article proposes five areas of development aligned with human resource management processes and presents comparative case studies between large organizations that have successfully integrated these approaches and achieved tangible outcomes and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that undertake such development primarily to meet the minimum requirements of their business partners. The article concludes that effective Green Human Resource Development requires integration at the individual and organizational levels, together with broader societal collaboration among the private sector, government agencies, and educational institutions, in order to prepare human resources for a sustainable transition.