S6 E3: Who's Hiring?

Hey listeners! You might have heard an earlier version of this episode, but due to technology issues, we noticed some audio errors in our post-production. We've since removed that version and uploaded this episode. Thanks for your understanding! Enjoy, and thank you for listening.

In this episode of CPR’s Connect the Dots, host Rob Verchick and his guests explore industry sectors and jobs that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, as well as the potential for significant job creation in technology, infrastructure, adaptation, mitigation, and the just transition to a clean, carbon-free economy.

Over the past year, we’ve watched millions of people lose their jobs, take pay cuts, even seek new career paths due to the cascading effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was — and still is — a tough time to make a living. 

There are close parallels between this public health crisis and the climate crisis, and the job market sits directly in the center of the two. Certain business sectors are more vulnerable than others to climate disruption. On the other hand, there’s a wide range of new jobs being established to support technology and infrastructure, and there’s newfound interest in climate adaptation and mitigation.

So, in the face of these dual global crises, the question is: Who is hiring?

Guests in this episode include:

Dr. Kimberley Miner, scientist and systems engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in California

Lowell Chandler, Montana renewable energy attorney

Valerie Mueller, assistant professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University

Renata Brillinger, co-founder and executive director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network

Sean Hecht, Co-Executive Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, professor and and co-director of the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic at UCLA School of Law