We are guiding the nation’s transition to an equitable and resilient clean energy economy by pursuing three aims: tackling the climate crisis; creating high-quality union jobs; and building a skilled and diverse workforce.
Media Mentions
Major Defense Industry Union Backs Green Jobs “Just Transition”
Inkstick Media
In September, the Machinists enthusiastically endorsed a new climate transition plan.
IAM Takes Bold Steps in Addressing Climate Crisis and Embracing Green Technologies, Releases Report on Clean Energy Economy for the Future
At the 2024 IAM Grand Lodge Convention, a groundbreaking discussion was held, with insights from a comprehensive study conducted by Cornell ILR's Climate Jobs Institute, in partnership with the IAM, about the urgency of the climate crisis and potential for growth and renewal within the union.
New report details the working conditions of New York's solar workers
"Green jobs are kind of being sold as this equitable, just transition that people will go into and it's really like a life-changing career and that is not the case from what we're finding," said Avalon Hoek Spaans, assistant director of research at Cornell’s ILR Climate Jobs Institute.
Michigan leaders warn about the health impacts of climate change
“Climate change is often perceived as purely an environmental issue — maybe a technical or scientific issue — but not a social, economic or jobs issue” said Skinner at the second annual MI Healthy Climate Conference on May 16, 2024 at the Lansing Center.
NYS Solar Work: Good for Climate, But Are They Good Jobs?
Cornell Chronicle
On April 26, Cornell’s Climate Jobs Institute released “Exploring the Conditions of the New York Solar Workforce,” which surveyed more than 260 solar installation and maintenance workers findings reveal that New York solar construction workers are transient, may not receive benefits, and are subject to racial disparities in pay.
New eCornell certificate explores intersection of climate change, labor and equity
Cornell Chronicle
A new certificate being offered by eCornell, in conjunction with the ILR School’s Climate Jobs Institute, will delve into the critical intersection of climate change, labor and equity, exploring the far-reaching implications of a warming planet on workers, communities and the broader economy.
SAVE THE DATE! Generating Equity: Pathways to Union Careers in Clean Energy Conference
Mark your calendars for the Climate Jobs Institute’s upcoming statewide conference, Generating Equity: Pathways to Union Careers in Clean Energy, in Albany, NY, on March 1-2, 2024.
New Climate Jobs Institute Report Sees Clean Economy on the Horizon via Apprenticeship Readiness
Cornell ILR's Climate Jobs Institute celebrated the launch of its new report, “Building an Equitable, Diverse & Unionized Clean Energy Economy: What We Can Learn from Apprenticeship Readiness” on November 30th.
Apprenticeships Can Drive Inclusive Clean Energy Economy
Cornell Chronicle
“The Climate Jobs Institute report addresses a core aspect of tackling the dual crises of climate change and inequality: ensuring that diverse individuals and historically underserved communities are included in the shift to high-quality, clean energy careers through union jobs,” said Lara Skinner, executive director of the Climate Jobs Institute.
Building an Equitable, Diverse and Unionized Clean Energy Economy
Please join the Climate Jobs Institute on November 30th to celebrate the launch of its new report. The report highlights best practices and recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, and funders interested in growing apprenticeship readiness programs as a tool to build a diverse, equitable, clean energy economy.
New York at Work 2023: Tracking 2022 Inflation Reduction Act Manufacturing Investments
Designed as a resource for policymakers and the public, the ILR School’s annual New York at Work report examines jobs and other issues impacting communities and individuals across the state.
Working With Labor Unions to Create a More Sustainable Future
Avalon Hoek Spaans, Assistant Director of Research at the Climate Jobs Insititute, shares what inspired them to seek a career focused on climate science, hoping to contribute to a more environmentally just and sustainable society.
Climate Jobs Institute leads educational delegation to Denmark
Cornell ILR’s Climate Jobs Institute leads educational delegation of 30 New York State legislative and labor leaders to Denmark to learn from the nation’s world-leading efforts to build a clean energy economy.
Climate Jobs Institute releases Washington state report
Cornell Chronicle
The Climate Jobs Institute releases, "Washington Climate Jobs Roadmap: A Worker-Centered Approach to a Clean Energy Future," a culmination of a two-year process that included interviews with more than 85 labor, environmental and industry leaders and policymakers, educational convenings, and qualitative and quantitative research.
The Evergreen State has positioned itself as a climate leader in America, but a new report from the ILR Climate Jobs Institute reveals there is much more to be done to ensure that its climate investments maximize high-quality job creation, equity and economic development.
Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat, and Lara Skinner, executive director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University's ILR School, share what they learned about creating good-paying jobs in the renewable energy sector during a visit to Denmark this summer.
Opinion: Employ vulnerable communities to build New York’s clean energy transition
City & State
“The Cornell University Climate Jobs Institute delivers training for union members on climate change and clean energy, and connects policymakers with labor, environmental and industry leaders to navigate this historic transition,” says Dovan Lomax, Political Director, District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in NY.
The Inflation Reduction Act will generate more than 1 million wind and solar jobs by 2035
Marketplace
Most new climate jobs will be in manufacturing. “This is especially true for wind,” says Lara Skinner with Cornell’s Climate Jobs Institute. “It takes a lot of work to manufacture the component parts for an onshore or offshore wind turbine — and an offshore wind turbine, there’s about 8,000 parts.”
Cornell ILR Empire State Poll Shows New York State Residents, From Long Island to the North Country to Western NY, Support Strong Climate Action with High-Quality Job Creation
The Cornell ILR Empire State Poll (ESP) 2022 shows that over 68% of New York residents are concerned about the impacts of climate change and more than 70% of New Yorkers have been impacted by climate change in the past five years
Skinner to deliver York University's GLRC 2023 John Eleen Annual Lecture in Global Labour
Skinner, Executive Director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell's ILR School, to deliver the keynote address for the 2023 John Eleen Annual Lecture in Global Labour, “Labour and the Climate Crisis: Developing a Worker- and Equity-Centered Clean Energy Economy,” for the Global Labour Research Centre at York University.
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.
Mother Jones
“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.
The ILR School Climate Jobs Institute, the first U.S. academic institution focused on conducting research and developing policy for governments across the nation to support clean energy targets, is launching Jan. 25 in New York City.
An offshore wind project being built with union labor could be exactly what energy workers need
Fortune
“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.
