The Climate Jobs Institute is guiding the nation’s transition to a strong, equitable, and resilient clean energy economy by pursuing three aims: to tackle the climate crisis; to create high-quality jobs; and to build a diverse, inclusive workforce.
In the News
Packman Named to Sustainability, Climate Justice Commission
Senior Research & Policy Development Associate Iris Packman of ILR’s Climate Jobs Institute will share her expertise with the Ithaca community.
New Climate Jobs Institute Allows for Research Addressing Climate Change, Aims to Create More Jobs
The Industrial and Labor Relations School launched their Climate Jobs Institute on Jan. 25. The Institute will help New York state transition to a stronger clean energy economy by addressing the climate crisis and creating more jobs through continued cutting-edge research.
Relax, New Yorkers. Nobody’s Coming for Your Gas Stove.
“We’re going to erode public support for this climate work if we’re not creating high-quality jobs and careers that are actually family and community sustaining,” says Lara Skinner, director of the Climate Jobs Institute.
An offshore wind project being built with union labor could be exactly what energy workers need
“The majority of [wind-related] jobs are going to be in the manufacturing supply chain,” says Lara Skinner, so the country needs to prioritize the development of domestic renewable supply chains.
Biden Promised “Good-Paying Union Jobs,” But It Will Take Organizing to Get Them
"People have to see how building a new clean energy economy improves their lives, expands their access to jobs, increases their pay and benefits, protects and supports existing good jobs, lowers energy bills, expands prosperity and makes our communities healthier,” said Skinner at the Climate Jobs Summit.
After Successful Bike Parking Demo, DOT is Rightfully Being Asked, ‘What Now?’
A recent study by Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate recommends converting 5 percent of street parking spaces into 150,000 sheltered bike parking spaces by 2025.
Melanie La Rosa discusses the relevance of the Climate for Change: A Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City report as an opportunity "to a climate labor force [that] could spur thousands of new jobs,” in her recent OpEd.
Updating aging NYC school buildings will reduce the city’s carbon emissions: energy advocates
Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate released, “Climate for Change: A Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City” in partnership with Climate Jobs New York which urges the city to adopt a plan for carbon free and healthy schools
Op-ed: A road map for making inroads into climate change in New York
Anita Raman, research and policy development associate with Cornell’s Labor Leading on Climate Initiative details how New York City can ensure future net zero emissions, create millions of community-sustaining jobs, and reduce inequality.
For a Living Wage and a Habitable Planet, We Need Climate Jobs Programs
Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate released “Building a Just Transition for a Resilient Future: A Climate Jobs Program for Rhode Island” in partnership with Climate Jobs Rhode Island which outlines an approach to reduce carbon emissions while also creating good union jobs.
Labor unions' climate agenda for City Hall includes cutting school emissions, adding bike lanes
“We are really thinking about how do we take on climate change at scale and the pace that science demands,” said Lara Skinner, Director of Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate program.
Amerikansk interesse for grøn omstilling og vindoffshore
Skinner, Director of Cornell’s Labor Leading on Climate Initiative visits CO-Søfart/Metal Maritime and Dansk Metal in Denmark to discuss American interest in the green transition and offshore wind.
An initiative of the ILR Worker Institute at Cornell, in partnership with Climate Jobs National Resource Center, “Labor Leading on Climate,” proves that when organized labor leads on an issue like climate change, the outcome is a thriving economy.
Cornell extension faculty member awarded 2022 Public Voices on the Climate Crisis Fellowship
Anita Raman, LLC's Research and Policy Development Associate, is one of twenty national leaders selected to be a 2022 Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis. This program is administered by the Yale Program on Climate Communication and the OpEd Project national Public Voices initiative.
Skinner appears on Portland’s Maine WMPG Radio, Community Voices for Change, to discuss how Maine is working to build a new renewable energy economy with good union jobs.
Report addresses labor movement, transition to green economy in RI
Skinner, director of Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate, highlighted the Carbon Free Healthy Schools recommendation — which suggests transitioning all K-12 public schools to net-zero emissions by 2030 using solar power — as one of the most impactful elements of the report.
Labor Unions Form New Group to Combat Climate Change in Maine
Labor unions in Maine say they have a lot of ideas on how the state can combat climate change and create clean energy jobs. The unions partnered with Cornell University's Labor Leading on Climate to study climate change and have set 11 goals for creating clean-energy jobs in Maine.
NYC unions rally behind ambitious new climate action plans
Cornell's Labor Leading on Climate releases report in conjunction with the Climate Jobs New York (CJNY) outlining recommendations to Mayor Eric Adams’ administration as well as examining the impact of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on NYC workers and schools.
New Report Outlines Equitable Climate Action Plan for Rhode Island
Climate Jobs Rhode Island and Cornell University recently released a report outlining a climate jobs action plan to put Rhode Island on the path to meeting the state’s climate targets and building an equitable renewable energy economy.
Labor and environmental coalition calls for R.I. to transition to a clean energy economy
A report by Cornell University researchers details crises involving climate change, the pandemic, and inequality, recommends major public projects involving wind energy, schools, and electrical grid
Worker Institute outlines climate jobs plan for Rhode Island
The Labor Leading on Climate team releases a report outlining a comprehensive climate jobs action plan to put Rhode Island on the path to building an equitable clean energy economy.
Unlocking the Transition: Politicians tout renewable energy jobs for ex-fossil fuel workers, but it's not so simple
Skinner, Labor Leading on Climate Director, says “there's not going to be a just transition because the pay and health and retirement benefits are not there.”
How the US labor movement is getting to grips with the climate crisis
In Texas and West Virginia, unions are having tough conversations about the future of fossil fuels. Lara Skinner explains that the way forward includes finding new ways to support workers transitioning from oil and coal to cleaner jobs.
'Everyone Wants a Good Job': The Texas Unions Fighting for a Green New Deal
At the Texas AFL-CIO’s annual convention on July 27th, 121 unions voted in favor of a resolution for a green jobs plan. The proposal was written by the Texas Climate Jobs Project, a project of the state labor federation and Cornell University’s Worker Institute in consultation with 27 unions statewide.
Why Texas fossil fuel unions signed onto a climate plan
Skinner, Labor Leading on Climate Director, says “there’s been a real focus on the carbon impact of proposals and not enough emphasis on what type of jobs are these activities going to create, what are the quality of these jobs, are they actually going to help reverse inequality.”
The UMWA local in Alabama has been on a five-month strike against Warrior Met Coal. Zach Cunningham, from the Worker Institute’s Labor Leading on Climate, proposes focusing on making the transition to renewable-energy sources one that provides good-paying jobs, rather than a narrative of “good jobs versus the environment.”
Energy transition could create 1.1 million jobs in Texas, report says
Lara Skinner, Director of Cornell’s Labor Leading on Climate Initiative, provided insight into the number of jobs that could be created in various aspects of growing the renewable energy and climate tech industries in Texas.