We've all heard of blue- and white-collar jobs, but New York City mayor Eric Adams announced an initiative that will create hundreds of thousands of "green-collar" jobs in the city — turning it into the Big "Green" Apple.
The Green Economy Action Plan is a wide-ranging initiative that will create a more sustainable and equitable future for NYC by decarbonizing the economy, investing in climate technologies, and training a "green" workforce across all five boroughs.
A critical part of the plan is the $100 million Climate Innovation Hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, which will help the city grow green technology startups and businesses.
The Hub will be developed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), which will collaborate with the Trust for Governors Island and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. Together, they will create 5,000 permanent jobs, educate and train 2,100 New Yorkers, and generate $55 billion of economic impact.
Outside of the Climate Innovation Hub, some of the plan's other major initiatives include opening up more public spaces for electric vehicle chargers, developing a workforce training facility in each of the five boroughs, providing tax incentives for battery storage, and decarbonizing the construction and building sector.
"Our Green Economy Action Plan will harness the growth of a new kind of industrial revolution and give New Yorkers the tools they need to build a resilient and prosperous city and thrive in our future-focused economy," Mayor Adams said during the announcement.
The green economy is projected to employ nearly 400,000 people in NYC by 2040, and this plan will ensure the city is leading the way with a well-trained workforce built in an equitable manner.
"This first-of-its-kind plan lays out a series of commitments and strategies that will bolster economic growth, create thousands of jobs, encourage public-private partnerships, and ensure a just transition to a green economy that all New Yorkers can contribute to and benefit from," said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball.
Bold initiatives like this are exactly what we need to help cool down our planet. As temperatures continue to rise, spurring extreme weather events — like powerful storms, wildfires, and droughts — everyone needs to take steps to limit pollution at all levels.
Steps like the ones laid out in this plan are crucial for cooling our planet, but switching to clean energy is also cost-effective, especially as these sectors continue to grow and dirty energy sources, like coal and oil, are phased out.
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