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This project was produced in partnership with the New Economy Coalition as part of the 2014 . Each day this week, YES! will publish articles responding to different topic prompts.

Prompt 4: Combating climate change without leaving anyone behind.

Powerful interests divide communities by presenting a false choice between good jobs and a healthy environment. But the new economy rejects the idea that there isn’t enough to go around. The climate science is clear: we have to move quickly to a renewable energy economy. But we have to also move in the right direction by making sure that those people who have been employed and exploited by polluting industries are not left behind. How do we transition to an economy powered by renewable energy without leaving behind these workers, their families, and everyone who depends on them?

Our feature articles provide some insight:

• Good Jobs Or a Healthy Planet? We Can Have Both
• Investing In Renewables Can Relieve Our Planet—While Reviving Our Economy

For more perspectives, visit the

Want more? Here’s a sampling of articles we’ve published at YES! related to this topic:

• Breaking the Grip of the Fossil Fuel Economy: If It Can Happen in Appalachia, It Can Happen Anywhere
  Coal production is gradually leaving Appalachia—having already extracted much of the region’s natural wealth. Local people are figuring out how to build a new economy based on shared vision and community knowledge. If transition can happen here, it can change the debate everywhere.
• 3 Lessons for Appalachia’s Post-Coal Economy
  Appalachian residents are working to keep local and sustainable sources of wealth central in a post-coal economy.
• These Young People Are Pioneering Appalachia’s Post-Coal Economy
  The Appalachian Transition Fellows are young people who will spend this year building diverse job opportunities in the coal-country counties that need them most.
• What’s Cheaper than Solar, Slashes Carbon Emissions, and Creates Jobs in Kentucky?
  Having an energy-efficient home saves the owners money, but they often procrastinate on improvements. When energy companies in Kansas and Kentucky figured out a way to sweeten the deal, the results brought good news for homeowners, contractors, and for the planet.
• Get Intersectional! (Or, Why Your Movement Can’t Go It Alone)
  “Intersectionality” has evolved from a theory of how oppression works to a notion of how people can fight it.