Activism to Policy
NATIONAL WINS & COMPROMISES
THE FOUNDATION: A JUST TRANSITION
For years, climate justice activists have advanced a Just Transition, defined by the Climate Justice Alliance as “a vision- led, unifying and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.”
THE YOUTH CLIMATE MOVEMENT AND THE GREEN NEW DEAL
In 2018, the new youth climate organization Sunrise Movement occupied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, bringing a national policy vision for a Just Transition to Washington: The Green New Deal (GND). The GND recognizes the scale of action required to address the climate crisis and its social impacts. It mobilizes substantial federal funding to replace fossil fuels with renewables, addresses health inequities through universal healthcare, and guarantees full employment, backed by a Civilian Climate Corps offering green jobs like restoring wetlands, installing solar panels, and teaching environmental stewardship. These measures communicate the promise that climate justice holds for us all in our daily lives.
A MIXED OUTCOME
The Biden Administration’s 2022 climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a weak echo of the Green New Deal that brought it forward.
The IRA has moved real funding toward renewable energy, creating 170,000 green jobs. It also includes healthcare provisions and taxes for the largest corporations.
But the IRA, while bigger than anything before it, is far from big enough. Its clean energy tax credits go to homeowners, who are disproportionately white, rather than reparatively distributing benefits to lower-income people of all races—or benefiting everyone alike. It made no direct move to phase out fossil fuels, and even greenlit harmful, strongly opposed infrastructure in sacrifice zones.
In September 2023, under continuing pressure, President Biden announced the creation of the American Climate Corps, another step toward a Green New Deal. In its first year, the Corps will train and pay 20,000 young people to work on climate.
When we fight, we win, step by step.
“THERE IS NO PATH FOR JUSTICE OR FULL DECARBONIZATION WITHOUT ENDING THE PRODUCTION AND USE OF FOSSIL FUELS.”
—RHIANA GUNN-WRIGHT, CO-ARCHITECT OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL
POSTER ADVOCATING FOR THE GREEN NEW DEAL’S VISION OF A MASSIVE GREEN JOBS PROGRAM. THE GRAPHICS EVOKE THE DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL NEW DEAL ERA.
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Rhiana Gunn-Wright quote
Hammer and Hope: Our Green Transition May Leave Black People BehindClimate Justice Alliance Just Transition
Climate Justice Alliance: Just TransitionSunrise Nancy Pelosi office occupation
The Intercept: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins Environmental Activists in Protest at Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s Office
Sunrise Movement: November 13, 2018 — Sit-in at Nancy Pelosi’s OfficeWhat is a Green New Deal?
Sunrise Movement: What is the Green New Deal?
The Intercept: With a Green New Deal, Here’s What the World Could Look Like for the Next GenerationWhat is a Civilian Climate Corps?
Sunrise Movement: The Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), ExplainedIRA new job count
The Guardian: Green investment boom and electric car sales: six key things about Biden’s climate billIRA healthcare provisions
The New York Times: Biden Signs Expansive Health, Climate and Tax LawIRA corporate taxes
The New York Times: New Corporate Minimum Tax Ushers In Confusion and a Lobbying Blitz
IRA benefits prioritize (white) homeowners
The Grio: Is the Inflation Reduction Act working for Black communities one year later?IRA and Mountain Valley Pipeline
The New York Times: Debt Deal Includes a Green Light for a Contentious PipelineAmerican Climate Corps
The White House: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Launches American Climate Corps to Train Young People in Clean Energy, Conservation, and Climate Resilience Skills, Create Good-Paying Jobs and Tackle the Climate Crisis -
Civilian Climate Corps popularity 2023
Data For Progress: A Civilian Climate Corps Is Broadly Popular
Data for Progress: Voters Support the Creation of a New Climate Conservation Corps
Sign up for more information on the American Climate Corps from the White House here
The White House: American Climate Corps
Green New Deal deep dive
The Intercept: With a Green New Deal, Here’s What the World Could Look Like for the Next Generation
