As the U.S. recovers from a pandemic, with workers in services and manufacturing in short supply across the economy, here's what no one sensible thinks America urgently needs: a huge new federal Civilian Climate Corps.
Their idea was adopted by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, who have proposed a Climate Corps that employs 1.5 million Americans over five years.
Sunrise says that program had "Deep flaws, including exclusionary racist and sexist practices of hiring almost solely white men and its nonconsensual development on stolen Native American land." Evergreen Action says the Climate Corps would "Confront the interlocking crises of climate change, environmental and racial injustice, and economic inequality."
The White House says the Climate Corps would "Put a new, diverse generation of Americans to work conserving our public lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, and advancing environmental justice." Democrats envision a Corps that's part green-jobs program, part behavioral hectoring squad, part social-justice brigade, and part union-recruitment effort.
According to Mr. Markey's summary, Climate Corps troops can work on coastal restoration, repair national park trails, install rooftop solar panels, and help with climate disaster recovery, among other jobs.
Another Climate Corps option is to become a "Clean energy educator." Some recruits could design posters to encourage climate-friendly behavior, and Ms. Sciales says other jobs "Could include things like caring for the elderly, community, and childhood education, building community structures to bring communities together, and in the process talk to people about limiting carbon emissions in their communities." Brace yourself for teach-ins on the sins of meat eating and natural-gas stoves.
Under the AOC-Markey bill, Climate Corps enrollees would earn at least $15 an hour.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
A New National Climate Army
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