Never go Full Slate, as Eleanor Cummins does
Last Month’s Jobs Report Hints at Our Climate-Changed Economy’s Future
After seven years on the up, the U.S. economy took a big hit in September. Some 33,000 jobs were lost, according to the latest monthly report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While there are plenty of factors at play, from the man in the White House to the insistent specter of nuclear war, experts attribute part of autumnal dip to extreme weather.
Because of natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the government reported, a whopping 1.5 million Americans were unable to workin September. Business owners in Texas, Florida, and elsewhere put new hiring on hold, and many industrial plants in storm-ravaged communities are still offline. But, economists say, the take-home message is clear: Things will return to normal. As the New York Times reported, economists are certain the U.S. labor market is fundamentally strong.
Buuuuuuttttttt
Some climate change researchers aren’t so certain, though. As “normal†grows nebulous and once-rare weather events become stronger and more frequent, it’s hard not to wonder if September’s inclement job numbers are not a fluke, but a preview.
If you’re thinking “it goes down from there, right?”, well, yes. This is the Cult of Climastrology, after all, where Bad Weather never happened before, and all weather is now caused by/linked to Hotcoldwetdry.
