No Justice Without Climate Justice
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Before Justin J. Pearson became a national voice for common sense gun regulation, he was a strong advocate for climate and environmental justice, having worked to defeat a multi-billion dollar crude oil pipeline that could have poisoned Memphis’s drinking water and taken land from South Memphis residents.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is working to make climate a top priority in his traditionally fossil fuel-friendly city. From his first press conference where he discussed making Cleveland a “15 minute city,” to his current push to electrify municipal fleets and decarbonize the city “block by block,” Bibb is leading his city to advance climate solutions and close the racial wealth gap.
What We’re Reading This Week: United Kingdom Closes Final Coal Plant
In 1882, Thomas Edison’s company opened the world’s first coal-fired power plant in London. One study found that coal pollution has caused more than 1 million cases of respiratory illnesses in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. But last week, after 142 years of coal-powered electricity production, the United Kingdom became the largest economy yet to completely phase out coal power.
The United Kingdom committed to phasing out coal in 2010, and since then has grown its renewable energy sector from 7% of the nation’s electricity to 50% this year. Coal is the most carbon-intensive source of electricity, and other developed economies like Sweden and Belgium have also dropped coal in their entirety. In the United States, coal’s share of power supply is down to 16%, and President Biden has committed the country to completely phasing out coal by 2035.
After the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, the global shift away from coal rapidly accelerated. However, while total coal-fired power worldwide has fallen 62% in a decade, developing economies like India and China continue to open new coal plants at a brisk pace. This widening disparity has raised questions about how to balance the renewable energy transition with economic justice, as coal is often the cheapest source of power for nations without access to easy financing to build renewable infrastructure. Economists and politicians will be closely watching how the just transition, a model by which fossil fuel workers are given government subsidies to relearn renewable energy trades, plays out for the final coal workers of the United Kingdom.
PLUS:
Connecting the Dots
More than a month into the school year, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) remains without a contract. A major sticking point in collective bargaining has been the infrastructural updates Chicago’s public schools desperately need to prepare for climate disruption, with many buildings lacking basic amenities like air conditioning and windows that open and close.
领英推荐
With the impacts of the climate crisis no longer limited to workers directly involved in the green energy transition, unions across the industrial spectrum are increasingly stepping up to force climate action. Climate One spoke recently with CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and three other labor leaders to delve into the how and why behind workers’ demands for climate accommodations.
Chart of the Week
Heat pumps have accelerated decarbonization in the United Kingdom
One More Thing
The most common question we receive from listeners is simply “What can I do?” If our recent conversations with inspiring leaders like Rep. Pearson and Jane Goodall have left you searching for ways to take action in the face of the climate crisis, then Climate One has your back.
Our website includes resources for getting involved in your community, initiating tricky climate conversations with loved ones, and even saving yourself money while lowering emissions. Have a suggestion for something else we should include in our guide? Simply reply to this email to share your ideas with the Climate One team.