Civilian Climate Corps could help provide a brighter future for American youth, writes policy analyst

Many disadvantaged American youth face a rocky economic future, in terms of employment and increasingly disruptive and expensive natural disasters fueled by climate change. "The economic and climate challenges young adults face may not seem related, but one program could address both: the Civilian Climate Corps, which would put young people to work addressing a range of environmental problems while also offering structure and a paycheck," senior fellow Martha Ross writes for the Brookings Institution. "The need for a Civilian Climate Corps at this crucial moment could not be clearer. Science shows that we need to take action now to address climate change. Meanwhile, for decades, the United States has profoundly failed to provide sufficient guidance and support to millions of young people transitioning to adulthood, leaving them with two bad choices: an expensive, confusing postsecondary landscape or a labor market largely offering low-wage jobs."

The Civilian Climate Corps, part of President Bidne's "Build Back Better" bill that is stalled in the Senate, is modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed 3 million disproportionately rural young men during the the Great Depression. "As part of the CCC, young people would work on a range of projects, earn a decent wage, and get valuable opportunities to build their skills and networks," Ross reports. "Corps members could work in urban, rural, and suburban settings on projects such as trail maintenance, forest management, home weatherizing, electronic waste recycling, green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding, and more."

The program—or some sort of economic intervention—is badly needed, Ross writes. A soon-to-be-released analysis from Brookings and Child Trends shows that one-third of disadvantaged teens in recent decades went on to make only $19,000 a year at age 30. Even more teens will someday be in the same boat because of the economic disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Ross writes: "At the end of 2021, the unemployment rate among 20- to 24-year-olds was double that of 25- to 54-year-olds (7.1% and 3.5%, respectively). Remote learning has led to serious learning loss among K-12 students, and college enrollment is down sharply, especially at community colleges. Teachers note they have not been able to provide the same level of college and career readiness counseling as before the pandemic, and many recent high school graduates report overwhelming levels of uncertainty, anxiety, and confusion about their future."

The CCC could help the most at-risk youth prepare for good jobs later in life, help them develop supportive relationships with adults, and provide support to help them stay on track, Ross writes.