NY Renews Coalition Releases Demands for a Climate, Jobs, and Justice Covid-19 Recovery
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: May 19, 2020
Contact: Arielle Swernoff | (646) 450-5461 | arielle@nyrenews.org
Web: @NYRenews | www.nyrenews.org
NY Renews Coalition Releases Demands for a Climate, Jobs, and Justice Covid-19 Recovery
Albany, NY — NY Renews, a coalition of more than 200 member organizations that fought for and passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, today released six demands for a climate justice recovery in New York State. The demands are aimed at addressing the policies that put Black and Brown communities at disproportionate risk from both Covid-19 and climate change, and outline a path to build an economic recovery that invests in good, green jobs for all.
The full letter to the legislature can be found at https://bit.ly/ClimateJusticeRecovery. A recovery centered on climate justice must include the following:
New York must provide immediate relief for Environmental Justice communities hit hardest by the Covid-19 and climate crisis.
As part of our economic recovery, New York must create thousands of good, green jobs by funding renewable energy, energy efficiency, and resilient energy projects. In doing so, we will advance a Just Transition off of fossil fuels.
New York must build resilient disaster preparedness and response infrastructure, and understand that the climate crisis multiplies the risks of our current pandemic.
Any energy-related recovery funding must support renewable energy. New York must not bail out fossil fuel companies or build additional fossil fuel infrastructure. Our economic recovery must draw down carbon emissions in line with (if not faster than) the targets set by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Recovery funding must go to community-based organizations and local governments, and should support energy and food systems democracy.
The legislature must pass, and the Governor must sign, the Climate and Community Investment Act to ensure long-term, sustainable revenue and funding commitments for a Just Transition to a regenerative economy.
The letter from NY Renews also demands new revenue to improve the lives of New Yorkers and support for demands from the Housing Justice for All Coalition and Make the Road New York.
###