How retrenched oil workers can help fight climate change
Unemployed workers in the US could plug wells to prevent greenhouse gases from escaping into the atmosphere
As the US Congress debates how to tackle the economic calamity we are facing, we have an unprecedented opportunity to put people to work addressing the climate crisis — and we should start by hiring laid-off oil and gas workers to help lead the way.
The fact is, the US oil and gas sector was in trouble even before the pandemic struck. In 2019 more than three dozen producers declared bankruptcy, hobbled by declining energy prices and rising debt. The pace of filings has quickened with the spread of the coronavirus, and even after the virus threat subsides — which is unlikely to be any time soon — cheap renewables will drive more firms under...
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