George Washington Bridge, YSG Solar
July 19, 2019

Renewable resources are the most reasonable, viable source of energy for the future. Green energy is important to conserve and save our planet from excessive fossil fuel, gas, and coal usage. This newly proposed CCPA bill requires that green energy become the standard and multiple states have already signed on, using renewable resources as the main energy source to power houses and electric vehicles.

New York has recently signed this bill, joining California, Nevada, Hawaii, Washington, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in a 100% green energy requirement by 2040-2050. Not only is this bill being pushed in the United States but also around the world. By 2040, 30% of the world’s energy will come from renewable resources such as wind and sun. In some places, like Europe, the use of renewable resources is estimated to reach at least 50%. Clean energy is one of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions and stop human-caused climate pollution.  

 

What is New York planning to do?

For nearly two decades, environmental activists have been fighting for the use of renewable resources but have been constantly rejected due to union labor workers and several other factors. These factors have led to the constant rejection of clean energy bills. In the recent years, with the rise in climate change due to massive carbon emissions, activists have marched for a better planet, demanding decreased usage of fossil fuels.

New York State has passed the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA), witht the aim to eliminate 85% of the overall planet warming emissions and offset the other 15%. Because New York has a huge economy, even bigger than some countries, its carbon emissions are greater than those of some nations. New York’s goal in signing this bill is to massively reduce the overall carbon footprint of the city.

The CCPA is an extremely ambitious bill. It aims for New York to run entirely on renewables by 2030, before completely eliminating utility emissions by 2040. The CCPA bill is not only backed by many environmentalist reformers but also several democratic senators in the government. According to NY Renews, New York will completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels all around the state by 2050 after this bill has been passed. There will be fair labor laws attached to projects related to clean energy, as well as public funding in order to make this bill happen and create real environmental change.

 

How will this bill serve New Yorkers? 

First and foremost, 40% of public revenue given for the CCPA will be focused on low income communities, ensuring that those neighborhoods will also have clean energy. The goal is inclusivity throughout the city, especially for those most exposed to fossil fuel pollution and the impacts of climate change.

The bill will also include benefits for workers in the New York green energy sector. Laborers will be fairly compensated with high road employment. This will ensure that the bill is beneficial not only for the environment but also for workers who are helping to carry it out. If all goes smoothly, the bill is expected to create 21,000 jobs a year in high need communities. 

NY Renews claims that there are several key issues they would like to tackle with the CCPA bill. Revneue would be invested in large scale renewable projects such as wind power and mass transit overhauls, grant funding for disadvantaged communities to improve sustainability, support funding for workers impacted by the transition away from oil, gas, and coal, and, finally, energy rebates for low income New Yorkers. 

Switching to clean energy will create hundreds of thousands of new employment opportunities for people all around New York. Those with a four-year degree will hold about 55% of jobs in the renewable resources industry once the CCPA is enacted. Under this bill, a large chunk of workers would also come from the working class, employed with proper labor laws and competitive wages.


By Kasey Liu


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Sources:

http://www.nyrenews.org/what-we-do

https://www.demos.org/policy-briefs/climate-and-community-protection-act

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ny-poised-to-pass-100-clean-energy-bill-but-advocate-calls-it-a-partial/557164/