For the 2024 Climate Leader, I selected Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. She has led the United States Department of Energy since 2021 and is an ambitious and determined force in the name of combating climate change. She graduated from the University of California and got her J.D. from Harvard. Secretary Granholm has been an attorney since 1987 and has been an environmental advocate. She served as the Governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011, then became a professor of law and public policy at UC Berkeley from 2011 until 2021, when she became Secretary of Energy in the Biden Administration.
As the Secretary of Energy, Granholm has overseen developing and implementing cutting-edge clean energy technologies, contributing to the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Job pipeline: Granholm emphasizes the creation of millions of good-paying jobs in clean energy, including construction, skilled trades, and engineering. Many of these jobs are union-paying and offer decent wages and considerable benefits.
- Infrastructure Modernization: She advocates for upgrading the aging power grid to meet climate goals and ensure reliable and affordable power for all communities. As our infrastructure ages, this must be addressed as the demand for energy usage has increased sevenfold since 2021.
- Environmental Justice: Since President Biden signed Justice40, climate justice has been at the forefront of the Department of Energy’s agenda, using funds provided by the Inflation Reduction Act. Granholm has worked hard to implement the Justice40 initiative across the US and its territories, with a special focus on organizations that help BIPOC and marginalized individuals.
It will be exciting to see where Secretary Granholm goes after the new administration takes office. As it has not yet been determined, she is speculated to remain a professor at UC Berkeley, hopefully emphasizing the fight against climate change in her courses!
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager Abigail Carlson.