Auchtoon!

I’ve attempted to knit a couple of stories together that, at first glance, may not seem to have much to do with each other.

First, there is the ongoing brouhaha regarding electric vehicles (EVs). It’s no surprise that the issue has become quite political. And, actually, it should be political because it very much affects our lives, particularly in Michigan where we have a vested interest in producing them.

This week there has been much discussion about the right level of government involvement, whether it’s tax breaks to retain and attract EV-related industry or how to invest in programs to train workers for battery manufacturing jobs.

Second, there was an interview I heard on NPR with Abrahm Lustgarten who has written a new book, On the Move. It’s about climate-driven migration and how the effects of climate change have been and will continue to be a major factor in causing migration both to our borders and within our borders. (I’ve touched on this in past cartoons, but Lustgarten suspects that Michigan and our Great Lakes will soon be a major attraction to Sun Belters who will grow weary of droughts, fires, and rising temperatures.)

The connection I found is the irony of those who tend to oppose EVs are also those who are seemingly most alarmed by increased immigration — when embracing the former may be a plausible way to mitigate the latter.