Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm in the United States. (Photo by Gary Norton / US Dept of Energy)
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Avoiding the worst impacts of climate change demands vigorous and immediate action. However, building a clean economy in the United States and the world requires that we adhere to an important principle: We cannot leave workers and communities behind as we make this transition.
Communities and workers affected by the ongoing energy transition will be hurt unless new public policy and investment is intentionally designed to support them. A “just” transition will not happen organically. Every major economic shift of the past several decades, from offshoring to “gigification,” has been manifestly unjust for American workers because elected policymakers have failed to craft a response that is fair and effective.
As the coronavirus crisis shows, we need science now more than ever.
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Keywords: clean energy, climate change, climate crisis, electric vehicles, equity, global warming, manufacturing, union, workers
Topics: Climate Change
Jason Walsh
Jason Walsh is executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, which unites America’s largest labor unions and its most influential environmental... Read More
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