Climate Power Education Fund Ad Calls for America to Put Auto Workers on the Job to Fix the Climate Crisis
Investing in union-built electric vehicles (EVs) made in America will create jobs, spur economic growth and drive U.S. competitiveness while addressing the climate crisis
Washington, D.C. — Today, Climate Power Education Fund launched a national ad describing how the climate crisis is here, and the auto industry can help lead our way out of it by building a new generation of affordable electric vehicles. This ad highlights the key role that electric vehicles play in reducing pollution and the millions of good-paying jobs that building the vehicles of the future will create right here in the U.S. The ad will appear nationally, including in Washington DC during Thursday Night Football this week and in Detroit during the upcoming Monday Night football game.
“To truly tackle the climate crisis, the American auto industry must be central to building our nation’s clean energy economy,” said Climate Power Education Fund executive director Lori Lodes. “Transportation is the number 1 driver of emissions in America. If we unleash a new era of affordable electric cars, built by auto workers in states like Michigan, we will cut pollution and deliver real savings to American families. We need to take the lead and turbocharge electric vehicle manufacturing.”
The electric vehicle industry already supports hundreds of thousands of good-paying union jobs to workers across the country. From 2017-2020 alone, the EV industry created nearly 50,000 jobs in towns like Normal, Illinois, whose new EV factory began production this week. EVs are the most cost-effective vehicles saving EV drivers $770 per year on fuel alone. In addition, investments in electric vehicles more than pay for themselves in environmental and public health benefits.
Transportation is the most-emitting sector in the U.S., largely because of emissions from light passenger vehicles that also pollute communities with toxins that cause cancer, respiratory illness, and premature death. The burden of air pollution and climate-driven extreme weather is serious, particularly in communities of color, and EVs, which create no direct emissions, promise to eliminate it. Investing in EVs is a key solution to stopping the climate crisis and fighting for environmental justice.
The 30-second spot announced today is part of a six-figure campaign that will run nationally and in Michigan on TV screens. “The American Auto Worker” emphasizes the urgent need for innovation and clean infrastructure solutions, and opportunity to step up and spark the clean energy revolution and create good jobs here in the U.S.