A Green New Deal could invest in affordable solar, energy efficiency upgrades for low income residents and businesses, and frequent, accessible, clean public transportation. These programs could create green jobs training and access for communities that need them, lower energy bills, and improve community health.
Minnesota must provide for those who are disproportionately impacted by climate change, pollution, and the changing workforce that will result as our economy necessarily transitions away from fossil fuels. Climate change and pollution have exacerbated systemic racial, regional, social, environmental, and economic injustices by disproportionately affecting groups including Indigenous peoples, communities of color, migrant communities, and depopulated rural communities.
We are demanding national lawmakers provide good jobs for all, but we don’t have to wait for federal funding to get started on creating jobs that support our communities. We can get started right now.
The transition to a clean energy economy will create a large volume of jobs and business opportunities, and access to these opportunities should be available to all. Energy efficiency conservation programs save Minnesotans millions of dollars each year and provide good jobs that can’t be outsourced. Minnesota’s clean energy industry has created more than 15,000 well-paying jobs and is one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy. With incoming federal funding we can build a clean energy infrastructure that includes all Minnesotans in a just and equitable way.
To learn more about our work, contact Noelle Cirisan.