You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
There's been a lot of political (and a modicum of economic) jabber about "green jobs". And it's certainly true that any national or worldwide initiative to actually minimize the impacts of climate change would generate large-scale employment and larger-scale profits.
But the national employment picture will improve as a result of climate change, pretty much regardless. At least, parts of it will.
Take exterminators. The bug-killing business has got to be looking up. Given recent mild (at least in terms of low temperatures) winters, I read that fire ants are now as far north as North Carolina. Can Virginia be far behind?
Around Backboro, it's not yet fire ants (and, truth be told, it probably never will be). But it's definitely ants. More individuals and more varieties. And cluster flies. And sweat bees. And things that can't survive 30-below. But then, we rarely get 30-below around here any more.
But it's an ill wind, indeed, that blows no good. More bugs means more money spent on bug-killers. Buy stock in your favorite exterminator franchise.
The impact-avoidance jobs may be dependent on political and economic will. But the impact-response jobs will be here, regardless.
