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Climate Action: Opportunities for the IAM
To tackle the climate crisis, we need to cut CO2 emissions drastically by 2030. By 2050, we must achieve "net-zero" emissions, which means that any remaining CO2 emissions are balanced out by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. If we can meet these targets, we could limit global temperature rise to a level that can prevent the worst effects of climate change. Meeting our targets will require changing our energy, transportation, buildings, infrastructure, and industrial systems on an unprecedented scale. Emissions reduction will come from adopting renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, promoting low-emission transportation, developing resilient infrastructure, and introducing cleaner industrial processes. The adaptive measures listed below also have significant job creation potential.
● In the energy sector, shifting away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, enhancing efficiency, and decarbonizing buildings and personal vehicles–is key. IAM members in manufacturing can make many of the machines needed to expand clean energy, while others in utilities can apply their skills to build, install, operate and maintain renewable energy systems.
● In transportation, developing sustainable aviation fuels, expanding electric and low carbon vehicles, massively expanding rail transportation, and decarbonizing rail and aerospace manufacturing are priorities. These new technologies create opportunities for IAM members in these industries to manufacture and maintain cleaner technologies.
● In the industrial sector, critical steps include improving energy efficiency through retrofits, introducing more sustainable business practices, increasing the use of renewable energy and low-carbon fuels, and deploying carbon capture, use, and storage technologies where appropriate.
● For the buildings sector, reducing emissions requires deep energy retrofits, decarbonization of heating/cooling, on-site renewable energy installations, and reducing carbon in construction materials. The healthcare sector, with its large, energy-intensive infrastructure, can lead by example on decarbonization.
● Government facilities like military bases must increase energy efficiency, deploy renewables and energy storage, decarbonize operations and vehicle fleets, and enhance resilience planning. The IAM's federal workers can support sustainable practices at military bases and other sites.
Our current moment provides new opportunities for climate action, with major investments and commitments at the federal, state, and local levels that include strong labor and equity standards. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is set to boost key industries, including renewable energy, electric vehicles (EVs), clean hydrogen, and advanced manufacturing. These industries are expected to create millions of jobs with strong labor standards. Investments in clean energy infrastructure alone could create up to 1.5 million jobs by the end of the decade, with the most generous subsidies going to projects that pay prevailing wages and use registered apprentices on the jobsite. The IRA has already stimulated new investments, with 123 new manufacturing facilities announced, representing over $35 billion in capital investment and supporting nearly 42,000 new manufacturing jobs.
Complementing the IRA, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $550 billion into new projects to improve and modernize the nation’s infrastructure. This includes $102 billion for rail upgrades, $65 billion for clean energy transmission and grid improvements, $7.5 billion for building a network of EV chargers, and significant funds for public transit. These investments are expected to create many jobs in construction, engineering, and manufacturing, and they passed with strong union support.