In September 2023, President Biden announced the creation of the first explicitly Green New Deal program: the American Climate Corps (ACC), a government jobs training program that will create new positions in local communities to take on the climate crisis.
The creation of the ACC and the White House's recent ambitions to expand the program are a testament to the growing success of the Green New Deal movement. Federal programs and investments have the power to provide much-needed employment opportunities to young people to tackle the escalating and local impacts of the climate crisis within our communities.
By putting young people to work tackling the climate crisis at home, the ACC could produce tangible and near-immediate economic and social benefits for young people, our families, and our communities.
But this can only happen if the program is done right. Young people deserve an ACC that recruits a diversity of applicants, pays a genuinely livable wage that matches the cost of living in our communities and creates work opportunities that measurably reduce emissions and build environmental justice. A century ago, the Civilian Conservation Corps employed 3 million men — 5% of the male population — in the midst of the Great Depression and offered access to basics like income, food, and shelter while being responsible for half the nation's reforestation, building trails and bridges in 900 national parks, and supporting other conservation efforts.
This is a great first step by the Biden Administration. By working in partnership with the Green New Deal movement and local communities to build out the ACC in accordance with communities' wants and needs, the Biden Administration can put cities and towns on the path to a brighter future, show Americans that their government is working for them, and strengthen faith in government.
You can also visit our website to read more about the ACC and how we plan to continue the momentum around this victory for climate and jobs.
Together,
Green New Deal Network
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