A White House program that was proposed in the early stages of Joe Biden's presidency is finally set to go live, with high expectations for its potential to boost the United States' green economy and get more people into work.
The American Climate Corps will officially begin taking applications in April, according to Grist, and the Biden administration says it will "put a new generation of Americans to work conserving our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, advancing environmental justice, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and tackling climate change."
One of the program's key aspects is an online jobs board, where interested people can log on and apply for jobs across a range of climate-positive roles. What's more, many positions don't require prior experience, which will be especially helpful for young people as they seek to embark on careers that could help reduce pollution, limit the rate of rising temperatures, and protect the environment.
While it's expected only a couple of hundred jobs will be available immediately after launch — and the demand from job-seekers should be high — the program hopes to employ 20,000 people by the end of its first year.
But legislative and political director at the Green New Deal Network Saul Levin believes even more opportunities will be essential to ensure the health of the planet.
"We'll say this again and again — hundreds [of positions] is not enough," Levin said, per Grist. "We're talking about a country on fire. We're talking about people not being able to breathe the air outside. So the scale needs to be dramatically ramped up."
The program was first unveiled as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, a policy to encourage renewable energy production — both at home and as part of the country's wider power supply — increase the uptake of electric vehicles, and support emerging green businesses and industries through tax breaks and other incentives.
After funding for the American Climate Corps was stripped from the eventually implemented package, the money for this program had to be sought elsewhere, resulting in collaboration between several government agencies.
But since the program has gained public support and brought both sides of the political divide together, per Grist, Biden is now seeking an additional $8 billion from Congress to expand it further.
If the program proves as successful as many anticipate, Congress will find it difficult to turn the president down.
The United States has set ambitious climate goals, including reducing planet-warming pollution by between 50% and 52% by 2030 when compared to 2005 levels, providing 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
To do so, investment and jobs in renewable energy, recycling, environmental support, and emerging technologies are vital, and the American Climate Corps will soon be deployed to help.
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