As green transition takes shape, so does a battle for workers' continued relevance
Whether it’s the flooding of basement apartments in the outer boroughs, deadly blizzards in Buffalo, heatwaves on Long Island or wildfire smoke blanketing skies across the state, New Yorkers have increasingly felt the effects of a changing climate over the last two years.
And the effects are pushing environmental advocates to demand more ambitious legislation from lawmakers that reduce the states’ greenhouse gas emissions and encourage a transition to renewable energy sources.
But while they push for a transition to a green economy, community groups and labor unions have been warning that a shift from fossil-fuel dependent industries to green energy jobs in wind, solar and other categories of renewable power could leave behind New Yorkers who’ve worked in high-paying industrial jobs for years.
As a measure of protection for those workers, city lawmakers have authored legislation that would preserve the areas where these New Yorkers work, and a coalition that includes state legislators are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to pass several climate-related bills and allocate $1 billion in next year’s state budget for climate projects built mainly by union labor.