Energy workers have nowhere to go

This article from Canada's Financial Post describes the many challenges of re-training for the low-carbon economy, highlighting the need for government and private sector investment to finance and rapidly scale transitional energy technology. As global response to the climate emergency inevitably erodes the oil & gas sector market, we can ensure continuity of employment, while enhancing low-carbon job growth, by accelerating the hydrogen economy. A close analogue and complementary technology to our hydrocarbon and chemical industries, hydrogen can deliver substantial reduction in carbon intensity of fuels while establishing a more certain transitional bridge for workers in our legacy industries. https://bit.ly/2NDD1cR #hydrogen, #greenhydrogen, #energytransition, #justtransition

Retraining oil and gas workers sounds like an easy solution, but the reality is incredibly complex: Perhaps the Alberta Government should look at what happened in Newfoundland. M. Brown's research (1999) showed that, "the relationship between human capital development and economic renewal is not simple cause and effect, but a far more complex, multi-faceted and synergistic relationship."

A clean energy transition that's fair to everyone? Nobody says it's gonna be easy. That's why we need strong governmental programs to ensure no Albertan is left behind. https://lnkd.in/gPFhu_y

The truly alarming stat cited in this article is that the unemployment rate for young men in AB is now almost 20%, easily the highest in the country. Yes, some Oilfield workers can retrain in a number of trades, but they need employers to apprentice them.