The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
In the New Yorker...
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 04, 2022, 03:38:32 pm ---I'm working on that one now. I'm only through "J." So far it seems so good, but maybe it will start to peter out. I really liked "F," the section about the electric planes. Cape Air wants to buy 75 of them. I think it would be way cool to fly between Boston and Provincetown in one of those planes.
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--- Quote from: serious crayons on December 06, 2022, 12:44:55 pm ---I'm only at D or so and I see the article isn't just kind of boring factual reporting, but contains more voice and attitude. I hate to say this because I totally understand that climate change is really important, but almost anything on the subject is going to be purely dutiful for me. That said, this piece is engaging so far.
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Not to spoil it, but in the end the whole thing is depressing--as is the topic. It's like, we've already doomed our own planet, and our descendants (of which I won't have any, so maybe I'm grateful I won't have any and just hope the world doesn't collapse until after I'm dead). Even that bit about the planes ends up depressing--no way will they work in place of large airliners.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 04, 2022, 03:38:32 pm ---I'm working on that one now. I'm only through "J." ... if you get down to the level of individual human beings, if you are a coal miner in West Virginia or an off-shore oil rig worker in Louisiana, and you lose your job because of "high electrification," what good does it do you, or your family, if a new job is created in, say, Oregon? I'm not arguing against anything here, only saying that it suddenly occurred to me that necessary changes will also come at a cost of a lot of disruption, dislocation, and even, I think, suffering at the level of the individual.
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Did you see that Jake Gyllenhaal movie "October Sky" about a boy following in his WV coal-miner dad's footsteps? If so, I hope you would agree with me that it's worth the disruption of having to retrain for a different job where you don't have to spend your workdays underground in a mine breathing coal dust. That kind of career I would define as suffering. I know of programs in PA/WV that train former miners in skills like agroforestry, tourism, and farming. Former oil rig workers could become sea farmers, levee builders, or ecologists. If they wanted to stay in the oil industry, how about working for a company that refines oil from plastic trash, rather than continuing to despoil the Gulf?
Front-Ranger:
Here's a WSJ article about a former coal mine that has now become a lavender farm:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/west-virginia-creates-jobs-farming-lavender-at-former-coal-mines-11630156974
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on December 06, 2022, 02:04:24 pm ---Did you see that Jake Gyllenhaal movie "October Sky" about a boy following in his WV coal-miner dad's footsteps? If so, I hope you would agree with me that it's worth the disruption of having to retrain for a different job where you don't have to spend your workdays underground in a mine breathing coal dust. That kind of career I would define as suffering. I know of programs in PA/WV that train former miners in skills like agroforestry, tourism, and farming. Former oil rig workers could become sea farmers, levee builders, or ecologists. If they wanted to stay in the oil industry, how about working for a company that refines oil from plastic trash, rather than continuing to despoil the Gulf?
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I don't disagree. That's all well and good if the new jobs are created where the people whose jobs no longer exist are located, but what if they aren't?
I simply doubt that enough new jobs will be created in a given region to replace the number of jobs lost in that region. This will cause pain and disruption, and I would bet it will fall mainly on the backs of people who are already in lower paying jobs. I simply doubt that enough new jobs can be created in West Virginia or Kentucky to employ all the people in those regions who will lose their jobs if the coal industry comes to an end.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 06, 2022, 04:38:59 pm ---... I simply doubt that enough new jobs can be created in West Virginia or Kentucky to employ all the people in those regions who will lose their jobs if the coal industry comes to an end.
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I agree that it's a daunting task. Today I read the rest of the issue and there are signs of hope here and there. Kolbert makes the point that even when the coal industry was going strong, there was still a lot of poverty and the industry struggled. Even though a person could make a good living in the unionized workforce, their work lives, bodies, and physical lifespans were stunted. A good job is only part of a good life. More is needed, leisure time, education, being in nature, and opportunities to express yourself and be creative. Being part of a community with friends and family to love and be loved. These were in short supply when the coal barons reigned.
Overall the coal industry workforce is only half of what it was at its peak. Regional economies are being transformed, but can it be done fast enough? Trump promised to put coal workers back to work but the opposite happened. Biden is promising more retraining and putting more money into it. The photo essay in the same issue "Blade Runners" shows workers going not underground but into the sky to maintain wind turbines. Where are they located? West Virginia.
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