This Wednesday, July 14 at 9am, we’ll talk to Johannes Werner about the newly formed Suncoast Clean Jobs Alliance and to Mehak Sandhu of Sarasota Students for Climate. Read their new white paper The Green Transition HERE.
Johannes may also talk about recent events in Cuba since he’s the Managing Editor of Cuba Standard.
The Suncoast Clean Jobs Alliance made their debut at the Climate, Jobs and Justice Forum held on June 22 at Fogartyville. The aim of the Suncoast Clean Jobs Alliance is to educate local residents on how addressing the climate crisis through the implementation of clean energy and climate-oriented infrastructure projects could create tens of thousands of good, living wage jobs while transforming the Suncoast region to fight climate change. Read their great paper
From the latest issue of the Critical Times:.
Johannes Werner, representing Progressive Sarasota and the Suncoast Clean Jobs Alliance, outlined how President Joseph Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan will, if enacted, be a first step in addressing climate change, while simultaneously focusing on the needs of working Americans. A major goal behind President Biden’s plans is a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emission, a shift that would go hand in hand with the trillion-dollar infrastructure program. Werner explained how the interest of working Americans comes first in these plans, by focusing on union jobs, “Made in America” jobs, and the need for racial justice in employment. The funding for these projects will come from tax hikes on corporations and on wealthy Americans, he said.
Werner described how a group of climate activists and entrepreneurs in Sarasota got together earlier this year to research the potential benefits of massive investments in renewable energy, clean water projects, environmental cleanups (such as the gypsum stacks at Piney Point), sustainable agriculture practices and better transportation on a local level. He described how the Suncoast region will benefit in terms of tens of thousands of good jobs and other hands-on gains. Werner hopes that this project will help break through the myth that tackling the climate crisis and reducing the area’s dependence on fossil fuels is a job killer. To the contrary, he said, the proposals of the Suncoast Clean Jobs Alliance will create a renaissance in jobs and general well-being in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. To learn more, you can read the full report, “The Green Transition: An Economic Opportunity for Sarasota-Manatee”, on the Progressive Sarasota website.