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“Regardless of the gridlock in Washington, states across the country have already launched similar programs to hire young people to tackle climate issues within their borders. These state programs could eventually provide a powerful model for a Civilian Climate Corps at the federal level, advocates say.
‘States have consistently stepped up to carry the baton forward on climate when the federal government has fallen short,’ said Casey Katims, executive director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. ‘So states are stepping up to lead, but the administration can still be looking at what they can do.’
From Maine to California, at least eight states have launched versions of Climate Corps programs, many of which are embedded in state governments and receive federal funding from AmeriCorps.”
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% by 2025, 50-52% by 2030, and 61-66% by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. The Alliance reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 19% between 2005 and 2022, while increasing collective GDP by 30%, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal by reducing collective GHG emissions 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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