The Case for A Just Transition to Clean Energy

By Basav Sen,

We’ve all heard the bad news. The U.S. is becoming an increasingly authoritarian country. Our government is rejecting the science of climate change and public health, and the overwhelming evidence of deep racial and economic disparities in our society. Meanwhile, storms, floods, and wildfires are devastating the most vulnerable communities worldwide, and we may have passed a tipping point on protecting coral reefs, a critical component of ocean ecosystems.

But it’s really important not to become paralyzed by the bad news. The fact is, when people get together to build deep trust and community, and organize to build collective power, they can overcome what appear to be insurmountable barriers. 

We know we need to end the era of fossil fuels swiftly to ensure the survival of humanity and planetary ecosystems. But we also know that’s not enough. 

We know that justice is an essential component of both the new economy we need to build, and the process of how we get there. We cannot replicate the social and economic structures of entrenched inequality, increasing concentration of wealth and power, and systemic racial exclusion in the new renewable-powered economy, because doing so would merely fix the technology and not address the root causes of why we’re facing these crises in the first place.

That’s what we do at the U.S. Climate Action Network (USCAN). Our network of 175 organizations is hard at work, preparing the ground for a just transition from our exploitative fossil fueled economy to a regenerative economy powered by renewable energy. That’s what makes our work so exciting, and we invite you to join us in redefining what’s possible, creating hope in the hard times we live in.

The USCAN network spans a very wide range of organizations across the country. It includes organizations rooted in frontline communities who have lived experience of climate and environmental injustice, and organizations who bring specialized skills needed for our work of transformation, such as policy, research, technical, and legal skills. It includes faith organizations, elders, youth, organized labor, and organizations with a gender justice focus. 

Whether as a member, amplifier of our mission, and/or a generous supporter of our work, your engagement with the U.S. Climate Action Network helps our community to organize collectively to win the just transition we need and deserve - something that none of us could do effectively on their own. Because that is the power of networks.