The Biden Administration on Wednesday announced the launch of the American Climate Corps, a jobs initiative aiming to mobilize some 20,000 young Americans “to work on the frontlines of conservation, clean energy and climate resilience.”
“American Climate Corps members will gain the skills necessary to access good-paying jobs that are aligned with high-quality employment opportunities after they complete their paid training or service program,” the White House said on its sign-up sheet.
The new initiative was launched the same day that the Biden Administration announced it’s making $4.6 billion available to help states, localities and tribes implement their climate plans. The funding will come from last year’s Inflation Reduction Act via a coffer intended to help local governments cut greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in their communities.
The EPA said it plans to allocate the money through some 30 to 115 grants that will range between $2 million and $50 million to local governments, as well as some 25 to 100 grants ranging between $1 million and $25 million to tribes and territories.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the economic, financial, and fiscal risks posed by climate change,” the White House noted in a summary published Wednesday of last week’s Climate Risk Modeling Roundtable.
The Administration further noted, “Shortly after taking office, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk which directs agencies across the Federal government to take steps to quantify and manage climate-related risks. This work—along with broader adaptation and resilience efforts across the U.S.—requires high-quality, actionable, decision-relevant information on physical climate risks.”
The roundtable was hosted by the Council of Economic Advisers, and it included discussions with academic experts, insurance company representatives, federal and state financial regulators and others.
Also on Wednesday, Biden was meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in New York City amid the U.N. General Assembly to discuss labor and climate challenges.
The two Presidents were set to announce the Partnership for Workers’ Rights following their meeting, a White House official noted during a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday.
“The U.S.-Brazil relationship is not just bilateral, it’s global in nature—the two largest exporters of food in the world, important leaders on climate, and on issues from food security to nonproliferation,” the official added.
