A Climate Jobs Roadmap for NYC

A new report released today by climate and labor experts at Cornell University in collaboration with Climate Jobs NY examines the impact of climate breakdown and the pandemic on NYC workers and frontline communities. The report offers a suite of policy recommendations to build an equitable clean energy economy that tackles climate change and racial and economic inequality. 

“Climate for Change: A Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City,” highlights key recommendations in the energy, transit, and building sectors, with a full suite of recommendations to follow in the coming weeks. Decarbonizing K-12 public school buildings by conducting deep retrofits and installing 1.1 gigawatts of renewable energy plus battery storage by 2030–one of CJNY's priorities, through the Carbon Free and Healthy Schools campaign–is a centerpiece of the report. The coalition is calling for the work to be done under a project labor agreement to ensure investments in carbon-free schools also create high-quality union jobs. 

“With a new mayor and almost completely new City Council, NYC has a chance to drive a bold agenda that can lower emissions while creating high-quality jobs and reducing inequity.  Large-scale investments that expand job creation are within reach, especially with billions of dollars in new federal and state funds going to NYC. This report contains practical ways to create wins for workers, frontline communities, and the climate,” says Anita Raman, Research and Policy Development Extension Associate for the Labor Leading on Climate Initiative at the Worker Institute, Cornell ILR School and one of the authors of the report.

To read more, visit the Worker Institute website.