News
A National Tour Calling for a Reborn and Ramped Up Green New Deal Lands in Pittsburgh
At stops across the country, environmental groups are joining local activists and politicians pushing for investments in union climate jobs to boost communities suffering from decades of environmental injustice.
By Keerti Gopal
In the communities most heavily impacted by the fossil fuel industry, a national movement pushing the Green New Deal is amplifying calls for government investment in climate jobs.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
State of Play
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”