A CLIMATE FOR CHANGE
A Climate Jobs Program for NYC
In partnership with Cornell University, we released “Climate for Change, a Climate Jobs Program for New York City,” representing labor’s climate jobs agenda for New York City.
The report examines the impact of climate breakdown and the pandemic on NYC workers and frontline communities, and offers a suite of policy recommendations to build an equitable clean energy economy that tackles climate change and racial and economic inequality.
The following are just its few examples of the Climate Jobs recommendations in this report and a bold vision for strengthening New York’s economy, tackling climate change, and addressing racial and economic inequality through the creation of high-quality jobs targeted at those who need them most.
TRANSFORM ALL
K-12 NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BE CARBON-FREE AND HEALTHY BY 2030
BUILDINGS: Making this investment would create thousands of good jobs in the communities that need them most, while making schools healthier and safer for over 1.2 million students, teachers and staff.
INVEST IN LOCAL OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL FOR GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AT PORTS AND SUBSTATIONS
ENERGY: Offshore wind investment is critical to NYC’s energy security, and a feasibility study on green hydrogen hubs at urban offshore wind ports would be the first of its kind.
REQUIRE A PUBLIC BUILDOUT OF 50,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS BY NYC DOT UNDER A PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT
TRANSPORTATION: Treating public charging stations as critical infrastructure would create 1,496 installation jobs as well as local jobs in electric vehicle and charger manufacturing, operations and maintenance.
MAKE EVERY NYC ROOF A GREEN ROOF OR COOL ROOF BY 2030
RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION: Requiring an energy-saving reflective paint or flood risk-reducing vegetation layer on every roof could create over 23,790 union jobs per year for eight years and reduce energy costs for renters and owners by 10%.
EXPAND FUNDING FOR DIRECT ENTRY PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: Expanding program funding and expanding allowable costs would ensure pathways to good union jobs. Funding stipends, child-care vouchers, and transportation assistance could bolster participation from frontline and historically marginalized communities.
With New York City on the frontlines of the climate crisis, it will take bold, ambitious action to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution to the levels that science demands. Fortunately, tackling climate change is also an opportunity to address the other crises New York City is facing: racial discrimination and income inequality and pandemic recovery.
As a leading climate-focused city, New York can be innovative and efficient, employing cutting-edge approaches to reverse climate change and inequality while recovering from the pandemic. New York City has the potential to invest in high-impact strategies that deliver deep cuts in emissions and pollution, high-quality union jobs for those who need them the most, and reduced energy costs. This would make New York’s economy stronger, fairer, and more inclusive.
The “Climate Jobs” recommendations in this report show how New York City can move towards a path of building the equitable, climate-friendly economy that New Yorkers deserve.