Can't Green Jobs Boost the Economy? Or: How Trump Rewrites Reality

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2025: Good evening, Strikers! How are y'all dealing with the new U.S. Government that seems hell-bent on convincing us that climate change is

not a real thing, and that the economy will keel over and die if fossil fuel extraction is not its key component? The Orange Guy has not only pulled us out (again) from the Paris Climate Accords; but his DOGE head honcho has fired (or pushed for the resignation of) close to 20% of NOAA's climate analysis staff. Why such policy directives? Trump and his industrial cronies think environmental protections and climate change mitigation rules are bad for business: that's basically it in a nutshell. Commenters on articles detailing this mess point out that Trump is basically handling climate change the way he handled the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic: by trying to fudge the numbers to make the situation look better than it was.

But is firing up fossil-fuel extraction really essential to a growing U.S. economy; and couldn't development and expansion of Green Jobs do more good than harm? After all, career positions focusing on environmental preservation, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation are growing in number, aspect and demand, covering everything from solar panel installation to developing ecotourism options. Just a bit of funding, marketing research, and exchange of imagination, and entire green industries could ignite and expand like the reach of trending viral videos. Or so one might think.

Unfortunately, according to an online article in Time Magazine dated March 25, 2025, Trump has also taken steps to ravage NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), in accordance with Project 2025, which includes such agencies as the National Weather Service and Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. Why? Because the Proj-25 honchos think it's a major contributor to "climate change alarmism." Proj-25 is also chomping at the bit to open much of Alaska's Tongass Forest to fossil fuel and mineral extraction, to the greater glory of "the nation's energy sector." In other words, to hell with green energy and other jobs to enhance the global ecosystem: what matters is enabling the uber-rich dudes running the oil companies to get even uber-richer. You can't become a trillionaire by helping biodiversity along, dammit!

But wait, folks: it's not all doom and gloom. The world's climate action networks won't allow that. The Paris Climate Accords are still up and running (with increased influence from China, among others), whether Trump and his oil barons like it or not. States' governments continue with their environmental protection work, with or without federal funding; nonprofits devoted to climate science and mitigation work aren't going anywhere; and creative innovation in the Global South is taking off like electric vehicles on midwestern interstates. Even progressive religious groups are getting involved. I'll do more research on them for future blog posts. In other words, folks, despair not, nor surrender! We can continue with our work on Earth's behalf, whether the Clown Car that passes for the U.S. government joins in or not!