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American Climate Corps

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A logo of a stylized tree in a circle
The Corps' logo

The American Climate Corps is a national service of the US government focused on climate change prevention. It was launched in September 2023 by the Biden administration, and is a government interagency project between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Departments of Labor, Interior, Agriculture, Energy, and AmeriCorps. The service plans to recruit 20,000 young people, and train them for public service or the private sector.[1][2][3][4]

Forest Corps

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A prescribed burn on federal land

The Climate Corps has a 5-year, $15 million partnership through the US Forest Service for establishing a Forest Corps with a highest priority of confronting the wildfire crisis.[3] The Forest Corps plans to employ 80 people aged 18–26 beginning in the summer of 2024. These positions requiring no prior education or experience will pay a compensation package of lodging, transportation, clothing, a living allowance, and health benefits equivalent to $15 per hour.[5]

Indian Youth Service Corps

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The Public Land Corps was authorized by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 created the Indian Youth Service Corps within the Public Land Corps. The Indian Youth Service Corps recruits tribal nations individuals aged 16–30 for educational, non-Federal employment and training opportunities in conservation projects on federal and tribal lands.[5][6]

Career skills training program

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The United States Department of Energy will allocate $10 million in grants to support classroom instruction and on-the-job training for individuals seeking industry-related certifications in energy efficient building technologies. Grant applicants must submit a community benefits plan by 27 November 2023. The plan must explain how the proposal will contribute to local community and labor support, workforce development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and initiatives for economic and environmental justice.[7]

Initial operation and further expansion

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Building from the existence and success of other climate corps programs such as SEI's Climate Corps[8][non-primary source needed] and California Climate Action Corp, the American Climate Corps is expected to begin functioning in April 2024 with several hundred members. The tasks are not defined precisely, but will "likely include things like installing solar panels, restoring vulnerable habitats, and fire hazard prevention."[9]

The needed skills will strongly differ between the different tasks: some tasks will need only "skills like communications, conflict resolution, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, reliability," while others will require also higher education.

According to the Biden administration, in the first year the number of participants is expected to be 20,000, with 50,000 more added each year by 2031. However, this plan is strongly opposed by Republicans.[9]

On Earth Day 2024, in Prince William Forest Park created by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Biden officially launched the corps' website, in which people can apply for the available jobs. 2,000 jobs were already available when the declaration was made. More than 42,000 people expressed interest in participating.[10]

The first class of members was sworn in, in mid June 2024. By the end of that month, the number of members in place was expected to reach 9,000.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "White House launches American Climate Corps". NBC News. September 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Friedman, Lisa (September 20, 2023). "Wanted: 20,000 Young Americans to Fight Climate Change" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ a b "President Biden Launches the American Climate Corps, Announces new AmeriCorps NCCC Forest Corps". AmeriCorps.
  4. ^ Joselow, Maxine (20 September 2023). "Biden's new Climate Corps will train thousands of young people". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Fact Sheet". White House. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Tribal Climate Youth Programs". Bureau of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  7. ^ "DOE Career Skills Training program to allocate $10 million for energy efficiency workforce training grants". New Mexico Sun. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Climate Corps". Climate Corps. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  9. ^ a b Hullinger, Jessica. "Want to get a job as one of Biden's 20,000 climate workers? Here's what you need to know". Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ^ Moore, Elena; Ordoñez, Franco (22 April 2024). "On Earth Day, Biden launched a new site to apply for Climate Corps jobs". NPR. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  11. ^ Thompson, Lucas; Weil, Ariel (18 June 2024). "White House swears in first class of American Climate Corps". NBC news. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
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