Creating a Sustainable and Just Clean Energy Transition

To get the U.S. off fossil fuels and avert catastrophic climate change, we need a quick transition to 100% clean energy, which will require dramatically scaling up the building of wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles to power our economy over the next few decades. But clean energy technologies are currently made of lots of so-called “critical minerals” like aluminum and lithium. If done recklessly, mining for these minerals could perpetuate environment injustices by moving our energy sacrifice zones from communities near fossil fuel extraction to a different set of communities near mines.

In transitioning to clean energy, we have the opportunity to power our homes, businesses, and economy without sacrificing our air, water, and climate. A 100% clean energy transition will also reduce U.S. dependence on foreign powers and create millions of new jobs. Here’s a…