Climate Change, Transportation, & Jobs

I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, August 1, 2007. Is aging infrastructure something 'they' don't want to own up to? Should there be more funding? Can we afford it with a growing population and a growing expense for natural resources?

Maybe you have been wondering about all the so-called jobs that will come with accepting renewable energy and living in a world with climate change. Well, this article is not directly about jobs, but read it and think about what types of jobs will be required to answer the questions that this article is addressing. The jobs will be unique for the current time, because they will be "thinking" jobs, ones that are not the same old, same old. It is the youth of today who will answer these questions and think up new ideas. What an exciting challenge. And those of you who have been a part of these blogs are well on the way to living in this "new" world that is coming. I have been very impressed with your thoughts and ideas and feel that you are on the right track to exciting opportunities.

And so, what is this article? Transportation. Changes that will be required because of climate change. Specifically it notes:

• increases in very hot days and heat waves
• increases in Arctic temperatures
• rising sea levels
• increases in intense precipitation events
• increases in hurricane intensity.
  

Each of these climate change results will create infrastructure headaches (and even a few 'good' things, like being able to sail the Arctic!). Things break, things age in the normal course. With climate change it will no longer be the old normal, but a new normal, one that is seemingly random or chaotic - until we have minds that begin to work WITH the changes, instead of trying to do the "conquering of nature" as we have in the near past.

Each of these challenges will require people who are thinking outside the current box, and creating a new box (which, of course, will also require going outside of it). People will need to be expert in various transportation modes, climate change and effects, as well as working with one another to adjust the infrastructure.

Infrastructure. A majority of the roads, bridges, highway, and tunnels in America were completed in the 1960s. That is now getting to be close to 50 years old. Everywhere there are problems with infrastructure that is aging. Roads with potholes, bridges falling down or on the cusp of failure, tunnels losing panels due to poor construction quality, highways congested and worn out. Not only to they all have to be corrected, but rethinking how to proceed into the new sustainable future. Do we all have to have cars ALL THE TIME? Is there a way to share some transportation, or heaven forbid, live nearby our work? Can we change the way we live? As we rethink our infrastructure we will need to also rethink how we live and can we continue as we have been? Do we need to rethink our patterns in life? Hey! we can use a few geographers and urban planners for that.

There are many jobs that have not yet come to be, but if you keep reading the many issues and new opportunities in the sustainable world we are shaping, then, you will find your way.

EU Sets Targets to Reach 20% Emissions Cut

Germany is number one in wind power in the world.

In a move toward sustainability the EU has set a goal that one-fifth all energy be renewable by 2020. It is the most ambitious plan to counter climate change ever proposed. Investing in renewable energies is also seen as benefiting new energy technologies, creating jobs and establishing a world wide market, though some industrial groups have expressed concern about the costs and potential damage to competitiveness of European industries, possibly making some leave Europe for less regulated countries. The EU also mandated that 10% of transportation be run on biofuel by 2020.

So the question is, should the United States and Canada follow the lead? Already Germany is the most wind energy efficient country and continues to build on its energy expertise. Though wind energy and other alternative sources have increased in the US and Canada over the past decade, they are no where near European commitments or practice. Is there a future for alternative energy in America, or is it a waste of time and energy?



This news item was brought to my attention by William Austin in our lecture class. I am interested in other important sustainable items that impact the United States and Canada.