Investing in clean energy will add over 126,000 jobs in Pennsylvania | Opinion

The latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms what most Pennsylvanians already know to be true: The climate crisis is here and urgent action is needed. At least 3.3 billion people are highly vulnerable to climate change-fueled heat waves, extreme weather, air pollution, diseases, and starvation. And these events are becoming increasingly deadly.

But climate change also creates an important opportunity for us in Pennsylvania. We have a chance to invest in the future of our state — and, in the process, to save residents money and create tens of thousands of jobs.

In recent months, the devastating impacts of climate change have been on full display here in Pennsylvania. In 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Ida led to the tragic deaths of at least five Pennsylvanians as the Schuylkill reached its highest point in 100 years and parts of Philadelphia experienced extreme flooding. Many residents are still struggling to recover. Meanwhile, we are currently in the midst of the warmest 30-year period on record.

Warmer air and rising sea levels are leading to increased flooding in our state and across the country. Floods are considered the costliest weather hazard in Pennsylvania, costing nearly $3.2 billion in property damage and leading to 89 deaths between 1996 and 2018. As flooding and other extreme weather events continue to increase in intensity and frequency, the cost of inaction on climate change will only rise.

The time to address the climate crisis is running out. Historic climate investments, such as those pushed by President Joe Biden and already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives late last year, would be a win-win for Pennsylvania, bolstering our state’s growing clean energy economy and fighting climate change in the process. However, the $550 billion in proposed climate investments is now stalled in the Senate. Our state’s leaders, including Sen. Bob Casey, must work with the president to prioritize passing bold climate investments now.

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Tax credits for clean energy technologies have driven progress through the last decade. The United States has seen a 52% average annual growth in the solar industry since the solar investment tax credit was enacted in 2006, while the net capacity for wind energy tripled from 2010 to 2020. A 10-year package of tax incentives, like the one before the Senate now, could significantly cut carbon pollution from the power sector; by 2031, carbon pollution could be up to 73% lower than it was in 2005. As power plant pollution levels are once again on the rise in Pennsylvania, these investments have never been more essential.

With bold climate investments, we can deliver massive economic benefits to families across Pennsylvania. This includes helping the average family save $500 each year in utility bills, making it $7,000 cheaper on average to install solar panels on rooftops, and offering low-income communities, Indigenous communities, churches, hospitals, schools, local governments, and nonprofits the opportunity to install wind and solar power for 30%-50% less than the normal cost.

“With bold climate investments, we can deliver massive economic benefits to families across Pennsylvania.”

Aggressive climate action will also deliver huge job benefits to Pennsylvanians. Investing in clean energy will add more than 126,000 jobs over the next five years for hardworking families in Pennsylvania. And the more comprehensive climate action blueprint developed by the ReImagine Appalachia campaign would create an estimated 243,000 jobs each year for the next decade. With the right policies — such as strong labor standards — many of these jobs can be well-paid union jobs. And the positions will often be based in rural areas that are most in need of job creation.

While President Biden has been forced to navigate several serious and challenging issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is critical that his administration not miss this moment to act on climate. As the United Nations report stated, we need climate action — and we need it now. The president and Pennsylvania’s climate champions like Sen. Casey must work together to tackle the climate crisis and invest in clean energy.

With so much on the line for Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States, I urge all our state’s leaders in Congress to listen to their constituents and work with the president to swiftly pass these vital investments.

The climate can’t wait. Our clock is running out.

Steve Herzenberg is the executive director of the Keystone Research Center.