Working people are struggling with an affordability crisis as climate change makes life more expensive, difficult, and unstable. From skyrocketing electricity costs due to historic heat waves, to rising home insurance rates in the wake of extreme weather, to increasing gas prices due to fossil fuel volatility, the climate crisis is making an already untenable economic situation even worse.

To meet this moment, Climate and Community Institute has created a number of policy proposals to take on climate and economic issues at the same time. These policies can deliver immediate relief across the spectrum of everyday life in the areas where people are intensely feeling the effects of the climate crisis. In our approach, climate is not an add-on or afterthought to piecemeal affordability measures or marginal changes. Climate policy should alleviate pain points where people need help, from their healthcare to their cooling costs. 

Decarbonizing the economy will be a long-term process, but people need help in the here and now. Immediate relief is not only about putting money back in people’s pockets, it can also be a whole-of-economy approach that deals with how environmental instability shows up in everyday life. 

We feature policies that offer relief in three areas: cutting costs, protecting rights and survival, and expanding leisure and access.