Many of us want our labor to contribute to a better future for the world. As you witness the many impacts that fossil fuel usage has on the earth’s climate, weather, and our health, you may seek ways to help. For some, climate action has become a career. In this Labor Day post, I hope you can find useful tips about Climate Jobs and other opportunities to make a climate difference.
From Reality Now:
“In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act launched a massive clean energy plan designed to create jobs and help families save money with clean technologies. Two years on, it’s already a massive win.Since 2022, companies have announced or begun a staggering 646 projects, bringing 334,565 jobs and $372 billion in investments to 47 states and Puerto Rico. The plan also offers households and businesses a range of pretty significant incentives, offering up to $7,500 off electric vehicles and 30% off the cost of installing solar panels or heat pumps. The plan has helped 3.4 million households save $8 billion switching to clean energy and improving energy efficiency, and has resulted in 750,000 new home solar systems. There’s a long way to go – but this is real progress and cause for hope. Read our full blog post on how the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy plan has transformed our economy and made real progress on climate solutions.“
Shedding Light on Climate Jobs
From the VOLTS podcast: A conversation with Canary Media reporter Julian Spector sheds light on Climate Jobs. “Through the passage of IRA and CHIPS, the Biden administration has invested billions of dollars and created more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs in purple and red districts that have been hard-hit by globalization and disinvestment. In this episode, Julian Spector of Canary Media, reporting from these communities, shares about local reactions to this influx of new money and opportunities, and the reality that Trump’s Project 2025 wants to roll back the tax credits fueling this growth.” Listen or read here: How is new clean-energy manufacturing affecting red & purple states?
From The Condor/Climate Action California – The IRA turns two: “The US’s ambitious climate law is now a toddler! Too bad most Americans haven’t heard of it. These investments are being deployed across the country and are already:
- Creating Jobs. With more than 312,900 well-paying clean energy jobs created across 47 states and Puerto Rico, and counting, these investments are sparking a clean energy boom across the country.
- Saving Families Money. From energy efficient home upgrades to electric vehicles, these tax credits and rebates are helping hard-working American families lower their energy bills and transportation costs. Last year, 3.4 million families saved $8.4 billion on clean energy and energy efficiency thanks to the Biden-Harris affordable clean energy plan.
- Investing in Environmental Justice. Through grant programs and the Justice40 Initiative, the clean energy plan is actively driving hundreds of billions of climate and clean energy investments in low-income communities and communities of color that have experienced decades of disinvestment.
- Advancing our Climate Goals. Beyond the benefits to everyday families, these investments are cutting emissions and accelerating our progress towards President Biden and Vice President Harris’ ambitious climate goals.”
From The New York Times: Climate Workers Wanted: “The climate jobs of the future, experts told me, may mean adjusting how we think of the jobs of the past: Electricians may need to learn to install solar panels, construction workers may need to deal with new engineering requirements and bankers may need to manage climate risk.
Celebrate Climate Jobs Listed Here!
Do you already work in the Environmental/Climate Change sector? Or do you just want to learn more about a climate-related career? Either way, here are several sources for online Climate Job listings. You can subscribe to most of these newsletters!
Discover the Latest Conservation Jobs: The world’s largest and most-visited career website in conservation, ecology, forestry, wildlife, and fisheries.
Make the Job You Have a Climate Job, From Project Drawdown…
“No matter your employer, position, or location, you can do your work in a way that helps halt climate change. This Labor Day, consider how you might contribute to one or more climate solutions:
- by modifying how you do your job in ways big or small
- by encouraging coworkers to do the same
- by raising your employer’s awareness of the threats climate change poses for your enterprise and of the opportunities climate solutions offer for allaying them.
Our Job Function Action Guides provide some suggestions, and we would love to hear yours! If you have ideas as to how you can help solve climate change through your work, please send them our way so we can share them with others in a special Labor Day Insights post. Bold action now is vital to stop the worst impacts of a warming climate and to create the bright future we know is possible. By taking action in your workplace, you are making a difference.”
One of the most important jobs you can do to make a climate difference – choose your candidates wisely – up and down the ballot – for their commitment to climate action. And then, VOTE!
This article explains how important our votes can be. A Pivotal Senate Race Could Make or Break Maryland’s Quest for Clean Energy Future
