The White House announced that President Joe Biden will launch “American Climate Corps” on Wednesday. It is described as “a workforce-training and service initiative,” for more than 20 000 Americans, “that will provide more young people with the skills-based education necessary to pursue well-paying careers within the clean energy economy and climate resilience.”

Biden endorsed the idea of a “Civilian Climate Corps”, when he ran for president during the election in 2021. The initiative was eventually left out of a pared-down version of Biden’s “Build back Better” bill, which became the Inflation Reduction Act.

Biden has been repeatedly urged by dozens of climate activists and Democratic legislators to establish a federally-funded jobs program which would implement climate and conservation projects. He was urged to use the executive powers he has as president to create this initiative by himself, and that’s what he is doing.

The announcement on Wednesday comes during the annual Climate Week, which coincides with New York City’s General Assembly of the United Nations.

Biden, who spoke on the importance of combating climate change during the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, will not be attending a meeting on Wednesday that is being hosted by U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres. The gathering will reportedly center on the new actions countries are taking in order to combat climate change. John Kerry, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, will replace Biden.

The American Climate Corps will, in its first year, put to work more than 20,000 Americans who will be doing important tasks such as conserving and restoring lands and water, strengthening community resilience, deploying renewable energy, which is often distributed and community-based, implementing energy efficiency technology that will reduce consumer costs, and advancing the environmental justice in so many areas, Ali Zaidi told reporters in a phone call on Monday.

According to Zaidi a major part of this initiative will be partnering with apprenticeship and preapprenticeships programs across the nation and pushing more Americans, from diverse backgrounds, into these programs. This, in turn, would result in them getting well-paying, permanent jobs, thanks to the funding provided by Biden’s Climate Legislation.

The White House has announced that Americans can sign up for the American Climate Corps online. This program will train youths in the areas of clean energy, climate resilience, and conservation. According to the White House, there will also be a focus placed on climate justice with a particular emphasis on underserved community.

White House: The Biden administration is going to coordinate the recruitment of the American Climate Corps throughout the federal government, and streamline the pathways that lead from the initiative or related programs directly into employment within the federal civil service.