We have an American president who understands the climate crisis, and both the grave threat and historic opportunity it presents.

The impact of new technologies on jobs is unavoidable, and not all of the news is bad. Many old jobs are destroyed but many new jobs are created. The problem is that with weak unions, global competition and inadequate wage regulation, some of the new jobs are lower paid than the old jobs.

Collaboration between government and the private sector will be essential to substantially increasing job opportunities. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in September 2012 – its lowest level since January 2009.

President Obama’s proposed American Jobs Act was presented to Congress this week. Included in the $447 billion jobs package is about $5 billion toward community college construction. Community colleges are uniquely positioned to provide workforce training and higher education.