MEMO: A Big, Bold CCC is Essential to a Green Recovery

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put America back to work by taking on the climate crisis, stopping the biodiversity crisis, and protecting our natural world, while ensuring all communities can benefit from a healthier planet.

The climate crisis is harming communities, devastating our landscapes and forcing wildlife to the brink of extinction. From ice storms in Texas to record-shattering heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, its effects are becoming more visible and more serious.

COVID-19 has disrupted our economy and put millions out of work. Unemployment among young people (aged 16-19) increased by 20.9 percentage points due to the pandemic.

The pandemic also highlighted the lingering effects of historic racism and discrimination in our communities. 100 million Americans, including 28 million children do not live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

The New Deal-era CCC was transformative -- a 21st-century CCC can build on those successes.

• The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal program established in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt as part of his New Deal program to pull the country out of the Great Depression and conserve and improve public lands and natural resources.

• In its nine-year existence, the CCC employed 300,000 young men annually (3 million men aged 18-25 in total), planted 2.3 billion trees and built or improved 800 state parks, more than 100,000 miles of roads and trails, 318,000 dams, and tens of thousands of bridges.

• President Biden; members of Congress; and environmental, labor, and X groups are rallying around the idea of a 21st-century Civilian Climate Corps modeled on FDR’s original New Deal program.

• Scientists are in agreement that we must protect 30% of all lands and waters by 2030 to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

• Unemployment due to the pandemic skyrocketed to 14.8% in April 2020.

• The Biden Administration has called for at least $10 billion in funding for a 21st-century CCC, while leading members of Congress have proposed investing a full $132 billion to create the Civilian Climate Corps. 

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to "work tirelessly to achieve a big and bold Civilian Climate Corps that places justice at the center and urgently addresses the interlocking climate and economic crises."

What could a 21st-century CCC look like?

• Climate Resiliency

• An ambitious Civilian Climate Corps could help us meet our climate goals and keep our communities safe from extreme weather. It could supply the workforce needed to protect 30% of our lands and waters by 2030. And those helping hands would help prepare communities for climate change-fueled storms by protecting and restoring forests and wetlands, expanding access to renewable energy, weatherizing buildings, installing electric vehicle charging stations, improving health by greening our neighborhoods, and more. 

• Environmental Conservation

• A new generation of CCC employees could increase access to the outdoors for all, ensuring those who come after them enjoy a direct connection to nature on a thriving planet. Access to nature and spending time outdoors is connected to improving mental and physical health and wellness, and protecting and expanding urban parks and green spaces is vital to achieving the 30x30 goal.

• Economic Recovery

• A 21st-century CCC could kick off a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by paying people family-sustaining wages to do the work our communities so badly need. A fully funded CCC could employ 1.5 million young Americans at a $15 per hour wage with full health care, access to transportation, housing and childcare. Doing so would provide a solid base for the next generation to build their vocational skills and education while helping to build a clean economy.

• Equity Driver

• A 21st-century CCC cannot repeat the same racist mistakes of the original program. A new version must look like America, and it needs to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change, like the urban heat island effect, felt by communities of color across the country. Requiring at least 50% of CCC projects take place in environmental justice communities, and recruiting at least 50% of corps members from those same communities would increase the climate resilience of those neighborhoods while beginning the work of undoing the harms of years of economic disinvestment.

What’s next?

• President Biden has called for at least $10 billion in funding for a 21st-century CCC. Leading members of Congress have proposed investing a full $132 billion in a new CCC, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to "work tirelessly to achieve a big and bold Civilian Climate Corps that places justice at the center and urgently addresses the interlocking climate and economic crises." The Sierra Club and environmental partners are urging at least $60 billion be invested in an equity-centered CCC.

Sierra Club Statements*

Jackie Ostfeld, Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All Campaign Director, “Sierra Club Applauds Establishment of Civilian Climate Corps”

“A Civilian Climate Corps is the perfect way to address multiple crises we currently face as a country.”

Ramon Cruz, Sierra Club President, "A Modern CCC Would Support the Climate, the Economy and Equity"

"There is no shortage of work required to build a clean energy economy. A modern CCC would build healthy and safe communities that are resilient to storms and floods, expand access to renewable energy, weatherize buildings and install electric vehicle charging stations."

*Experts and additional spokespeople are available upon request.

To learn more about a 21st-century Civilian Climate Corps and talk to experts, contact Ian Brickey (202-675-6270, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org).