But my coal job! I live in Virginia! If I’m not going to slave in the mines, by Jove, what else can I do? Install solar panels? Ha! I think not!
(I’ve never really heard one of these people give a satisfactory explanation for why not, but for the moment I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to lived experience. Be nice if I knew though.)
The sad part is, some small towns with single employers like coal mining towns will probably become ghost towns as part of the transition. There’s really not many ways to transition a local economy rapidly enough to save the town. And with coal mining in particular, the skillset needed to work in the mines is not necessarily a skillset that will translate well into other fields, at least not in the time the towns will have between the mine closure and everyone leaving for greener pastures
But my coal job! I live in Virginia! If I’m not going to slave in the mines, by Jove, what else can I do? Install solar panels? Ha! I think not!
(I’ve never really heard one of these people give a satisfactory explanation for why not, but for the moment I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to lived experience. Be nice if I knew though.)
The sad part is, some small towns with single employers like coal mining towns will probably become ghost towns as part of the transition. There’s really not many ways to transition a local economy rapidly enough to save the town. And with coal mining in particular, the skillset needed to work in the mines is not necessarily a skillset that will translate well into other fields, at least not in the time the towns will have between the mine closure and everyone leaving for greener pastures