We are guiding the nation’s transition to an equitable and resilient clean energy economy by pursuing three aims: tackling the climate crisis; creating high-quality union jobs; and building a skilled and diverse workforce.
Public Impact
Climate Jobs Institute Launches First-ever Climate Jobs eCornell Online Certificate
Cornell’s Climate Jobs Institute Launches New Climate Jobs 4-course Online Certificate through eCornell
CJI Hosts Workshop at 2024 SOMOS Conference in Albany
Bethany Figueroa, Research Support Specialist at Cornell's ILR Climate Jobs Institute, shares her experience on the 2024 SOMOS conference in Albany, NY.
New Climate Jobs Institute Report Sees Clean Economy on the Horizon via Apprenticeship Readiness
Cornell ILR's Climate Jobs Institute celebrated the launch of its new report, “Building an Equitable, Diverse & Unionized Clean Energy Economy: What We Can Learn from Apprenticeship Readiness” on November 30th.
Apprenticeships Can Drive Inclusive Clean Energy Economy
Cornell Chronicle
“The Climate Jobs Institute report addresses a core aspect of tackling the dual crises of climate change and inequality: ensuring that diverse individuals and historically underserved communities are included in the shift to high-quality, clean energy careers through union jobs,” said Lara Skinner, executive director of the Climate Jobs Institute.
CJI Participates in ILR's Convening of Albany Policymakers to Show Impact of State Funding
Representatives from the NY State legislative and executive branches gathered on the ILR campus Thursday morning to officially launch the New York at Work annual report.
New York at Work 2023: Tracking 2022 Inflation Reduction Act Manufacturing Investments
Designed as a resource for policymakers and the public, the ILR School’s annual New York at Work report examines jobs and other issues impacting communities and individuals across the state.
Working With Labor Unions to Create a More Sustainable Future
Avalon Hoek Spaans, Assistant Director of Research at the Climate Jobs Insititute, shares what inspired them to seek a career focused on climate science, hoping to contribute to a more environmentally just and sustainable society.
Climate Jobs Institute leads educational delegation to Denmark
Cornell ILR’s Climate Jobs Institute leads educational delegation of 30 New York State legislative and labor leaders to Denmark to learn from the nation’s world-leading efforts to build a clean energy economy.
A Climate Jobs Roadmap for Washington State, "is a bold first step towards a pro-worker clean energy transition that meets the scale of this crisis and addresses long-standing racial and economic inequality,” says Lara Skinner, Founding Executive Director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University.
Climate Jobs Institute releases Washington state report
Cornell Chronicle
The Climate Jobs Institute releases, "Washington Climate Jobs Roadmap: A Worker-Centered Approach to a Clean Energy Future," a culmination of a two-year process that included interviews with more than 85 labor, environmental and industry leaders and policymakers, educational convenings, and qualitative and quantitative research.
Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat, and Lara Skinner, executive director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University's ILR School, share what they learned about creating good-paying jobs in the renewable energy sector during a visit to Denmark this summer.
Opinion: Employ vulnerable communities to build New York’s clean energy transition
City & State
“The Cornell University Climate Jobs Institute delivers training for union members on climate change and clean energy, and connects policymakers with labor, environmental and industry leaders to navigate this historic transition,” says Dovan Lomax, Political Director, District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in NY.
CJI Executive Director Advocates for Worker-Centered Climate Policies in Congress
On April 18, 2023, Dr Lara Skinner, Executive Director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Board Member of the Climate Jobs National Resource Center, participated in the inaugural meeting of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Climate Jobs Task Force.
New Climate Jobs Institute Allows for Research Addressing Climate Change, Aims to Create More Jobs
The Industrial and Labor Relations School launched their Climate Jobs Institute on Jan. 25. The Institute will help New York state transition to a stronger clean energy economy by addressing the climate crisis and creating more jobs through continued cutting-edge research.
Scaling the US OSW Supply Chain with a Global Perspective
Avalon Hoek Spaans, Cornell ILR outreach extension faculty member with help from their student research assistant Scott Siegel advised a group of Columbia Climate School graduate students on how to answer the question: “How can offshore wind deployment in the US be accelerated while ensuring local high-quality job creation?”
Labor Leading on Climate Trains Unionists from Four States as part of Climate Jobs Summit and Week of Action
Cunningham facilitates first training for rank-and-file union members on Sept. 22nd, as part of the Climate Jobs Summit’s Week of Action. Members attended the training via Zoom with in-person sessions to hear about the climate crisis, share their experiences, and learn more about ongoing campaigns in their areas.
Biden Promised “Good-Paying Union Jobs,” But It Will Take Organizing to Get Them
Truthout
"People have to see how building a new clean energy economy improves their lives, expands their access to jobs, increases their pay and benefits, protects and supports existing good jobs, lowers energy bills, expands prosperity and makes our communities healthier,” said Skinner at the Climate Jobs Summit.
After Successful Bike Parking Demo, DOT is Rightfully Being Asked, ‘What Now?’
A recent study by Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate recommends converting 5 percent of street parking spaces into 150,000 sheltered bike parking spaces by 2025.
LLC and CJNY facilitate Offshore Wind Training for IBEW Local 3
Zach Cunningham, Associate for Cornell’s Labor Leading on Climate, and Mariah Dignan, of Climate Jobs NY, facilitate training on Climate Jobs and Offshore Wind (OSW) to IBEW Local 3 apprentices
Melanie La Rosa discusses the relevance of the Climate for Change: A Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City report as an opportunity "to a climate labor force [that] could spur thousands of new jobs,” in her recent OpEd.
Updating aging NYC school buildings will reduce the city’s carbon emissions: energy advocates
NY Daily News
Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate released, “Climate for Change: A Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City” in partnership with Climate Jobs New York which urges the city to adopt a plan for carbon free and healthy schools
Op-ed: A road map for making inroads into climate change in New York
Anita Raman, research and policy development associate with Cornell’s Labor Leading on Climate Initiative details how New York City can ensure future net zero emissions, create millions of community-sustaining jobs, and reduce inequality.
For a Living Wage and a Habitable Planet, We Need Climate Jobs Programs
Jacobin
Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate released “Building a Just Transition for a Resilient Future: A Climate Jobs Program for Rhode Island” in partnership with Climate Jobs Rhode Island which outlines an approach to reduce carbon emissions while also creating good union jobs.
LLC participates in UALE’s first-ever Northeast Regional Gathering
Labor Leading on Climate team’s Zach Cunningham, the regional representative to UALE’s Board, led efforts to organize the event and Director, Lara Skinner, participates in panel discussion.
Labor unions' climate agenda for City Hall includes cutting school emissions, adding bike lanes
“We are really thinking about how do we take on climate change at scale and the pace that science demands,” said Lara Skinner, Director of Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate program.