Sec. 2. Findings

386 words·~2 min read·/bill/118/hr/5572/ih/section-2

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Congress finds the following: The effects of climate change include extreme heat, drought, intensified storms and hurricanes, rising sea level, ocean acidification, intensifying wildfires, and other natural disasters. These natural disasters exert profound impacts on the lives and livelihoods of all individuals, but some communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color, are disproportionately exposed and vulnerable to climate impacts and pollution. To stem the worst effects of climate change, the global economy must completely decarbonize and remain carbon negative thereafter, which requires a domestic economy-wide transition to a clean and sustainable economy within a rapid timeframe.

Such a transition requires a massive labor mobilization and the development of a diverse, inclusive, and skilled workforce. Historically underserved communities must equitably receive the resources they need to effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change, and displaced or unemployed workers require retraining and support. Millions of people face unemployment and barriers to opportunity, especially in low-income rural, urban, and tribal environments. These challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID–19 crisis, which also disproportionately affected low-income people and young people of color, who currently face unemployment at rates double the national average.

An existing network of national, State, tribal, and local service and conservation corps can be rapidly scaled and supplemented to mobilize labor, provide job opportunities and career training, and help establish the workforce necessary to accomplish the transition to a clean and just economy. Corps positions provide hands-on work experience, income, and job training for unemployed individuals in the United States, as well as leadership skills, an opportunity for community service, and an understanding of environmental stewardship.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has the ability to recruit, select, fund, and oversee 1,500,000 members of service corps by 2028 to complete important projects across the entire country to help address the climate crisis. Unsatisfactory wages and working conditions, and employers’ refusal to respect workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain, lead to labor disputes, which threaten to frustrate or delay the urgent mobilization necessary to address climate change.

Such disputes are prevented or minimized when the law effectively protects the right of workers to receive fair compensation and benefits, to form or join unions, to collectively bargain over the terms and conditions of employment, and to engage in other concerted activities for mutual aid or protection.