Capitalizing on Historic Climate Investments - Part 2
Following on my previous post, Capitalizing on Historic Climate Investments - Part 1, on June 27 in Pittsburgh, I had the privilege to hear from Pennsylvania leaders on “Panel 1 - Meeting the Moment: How Visionary Leaders Are Capturing Unprecedented Opportunities in the Clean Energy Economy.” The panel included Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Angela Ferritto, President, PA AFL-CIO, and Brian Regli, Executive Director of Critical Investments, Office of Governor Josh Shapiro.
Here are a few perspectives that stood out to me.
We can’t just build our way out of a fossil-based economy - Housing and Schools are critical priorities for investments in a clean energy economy because an economy that doesn’t safely house its workers and provide a healthy environment to educate its children will not be equitable or sustainable.
Invest in our children - A viable vision of a clean energy economy requires educating children today not only about the urgency of climate investments but also about how to be part of the conversation right now. Capturing future opportunities for the workforce includes unprecedented opportunities for today’s workers and the people who aren’t in the workforce yet.
Lots of opportunities to be excited about - PA has a clean energy economic strategy that reduces consumer costs, enhances the supply of energy, grows opportunities for workers and energizes communities. And organized labor can, and is, finding its space in the energy transition with these opportunities.
Each of these leaders demonstrated vision - From Mayor Gainey and Executive Innamorato leveraging critical investments to provide safe, affordable housing for families to Angela Ferritto securing project labor agreements for workers to Brian Regli spearheading Gov. Shapiro’s Critical Investments office to drive clean energy economic development.
At Viewpoint Public Affairs, we work with foundations, advocacy organizations, and local governments to shape climate and clean energy policies and pursue funding to drive sustainable initiatives, promote environmental justice, and support the transition to a clean energy future.
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