Policy Brief: A Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda - Federal Policy Recommendations
By Arjun Krishnaswami and Jake Higdon
Components of a progressive climate innovation platform
The coronavirus pandemic has rattled the U.S. economy, leaving more than 170,000 Americans dead, millions sick, and tens of millions unemployed as we write. The nation needs expanded and prolonged federal relief to help people weather this storm, followed by a renewed commitment to the institutions and approaches that can prevent looming social, economic, and environmental crises. To help avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis and contribute to economic recovery, the federal government should invest in developing and deploying the next generation of clean technologies and infrastructure that can make us safer, healthier, and more resilient, and in doing so mobilize millions of Americans to create the low-carbon economy we need. In our A Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda, we detail the shortcomings of existing programs and argue that progressives should develop and push a bold climate innovation platform. In that report, we lay out three questions that should guide development of a progressive innovation platform. Here, we recommend components of a climate innovation platform to satisfy these criteria.
