Climate Change and Changing Careers - Sierra Baker
Average increase in temperatures will have a direct impact on life at Chico State. Trees will begin to die, our creek will switch between flooding and drying up, and our gardens will have difficulty producing food. There will be an increase in natural disasters, such as wildfires, floods, and droughts. In Chico, as a whole, the economy will be affected by all of this. Northern California’s economy depends on the agricultural industry. According to scientists at UC Davis, “every dollar of value added—labor and property income and indirect business taxes—in farming and agricultural related industries generates an additional $1.27 in the state economy”. By 2037, Cal-Adapt projects Chico temperatures (high and low) to be four degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius) warmer on average. According to UC Berkeley scientists, for every 1-degree Celsius increase in average temperature there is expected to be a 1 percent loss in California’s annual economic output, and the loss will be greater in the Central Valley (4-6% per degree increase). Due to this economic disruption, there will be a loss of jobs in the area.
The economy will be unstable and jobs available will be scarce. This financial instability will cause many students to wonder what degree they should work towards and what career they will pursue, and Academic Affairs will need to respond.
