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We need to link infrastructure job creation to climate action, specifically in the transition to a clean energy economy. @jwkane1 and I wrote about why clean energy jobs are critical to a pandemic recovery: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/09/10/how-clean-energy-jobs-can-power-an-equitable-covid-19-recovery/. A thread:
“When I think about climate change, the word I think of is ‘jobs.'” @JoeBiden's climate action plan embraces the socioeconomic equity issues around employment championed by the #GND and other such plans.
What's important is consistent bipartisan interest in infrastructure-linked job creation that can be leveraged going forward. But, this is not without challenges.
We need to more clearly specify how prospective workers will fill these jobs. Maximizing the impact of Biden’s climate plan (or any national plan) depends on clear worker definitions, targeted workforce investments, and strong local collaborations.
As we've explored in previous work with @MarkMuro1 and @AdieTomer, clean energy jobs infuse EVERY sector of the economy. They have better pay and lower educational barriers than similar occupations in other sectors.
BUT, there are big problems around diversity, equity, and inclusion in the clean energy workforce. Many jobs are skilled trades, where women have always been poorly represented. Share of Black workers is lower than the national average, especially in STEM-heavy occupations.
As others @Sandeeppaii and @Stphn_Lacey have said, there are also mismatches in geographic location and skillset of existing energy workers, making this transition painful for workers whose skills and labor have powered economic growth so far. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/a-just-transition-for-fossil-fuel-workers
It will take a combination of national, state, and local leadership and policies to fill clean energy jobs and connect more individuals with opportunity.
As economic recovery post-pandemic becomes urgent, there are clear opportunities for leaders to make the clean energy workforce an equitable and sustainable platform for recovery.
