Jobs and education for the 21st century

Jobs and Education for the 21st Century

The path to a brighter future lies in modernizing jobs and education, writes Lynne Agress. During the extended government shutdown, thousands of workers, especially younger ones, face uncertainty and must reconsider their career prospects. Current college and high school graduates share this challenge. While patience is essential since training and retraining require time, there is hope: the emergence of 21st-century jobs suitable for all skill levels.

Addressing Climate Change Through Employment

Climate change represents one of the most serious threats to our environment globally. From devastating hurricanes and extreme temperature fluctuations to floods, fires, and pollution, our planet risks becoming uninhabitable for humans, plants, and animals if left unaddressed.

Combating climate change will create thousands of new opportunities. These include:

Research positions
Analyst roles
Construction jobs
Policy-making positions

These roles span various skill levels and will become available once governments fully acknowledge and act on the problem.

Acting on climate change will save cities such as New York and parts of Florida from flooding and protect Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, from the impacts of rapid melting.

The Environmental Benefits of Reduced Pollution

Climate change also affects the quality of the air we breathe. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic was a noticeable drop in pollution, as fewer people commuted by car or truck in major cities, improving air quality.

Summary

Modernizing education and jobs, especially in sectors fighting climate change, is crucial to securing a sustainable and prosperous future for all.

Would you like the summary to be more concise or expanded?

The Baltimore Sun — 2025-11-08