Michael Bloomberg has unveiled a $500 million “Beyond Carbon” campaign, aimed at closing every U.S. coal-fired power plant by 2030 and halting the construction of any new natural gas plants. The capital will be spent over the next three years.
“We’re in a race against time with climate change, and yet there is virtually no hope of bold federal action on this issue for at least another two years,” said Bloomberg in a statement. “Mother Nature is not waiting on our political calendar, and neither can we.”
He hopes to put the United States on track toward a 100 percent clean energy economy.
The new campaign will direct its funding toward environmental groups’ lobbying efforts in state legislatures, city councils and public utility commissions, as well as to elect local politicians with pro-clean energy policies, reported The New York Times. The plants will be replaced with wind, solar and other renewable power. Part of the cash will also go toward efforts to elect local lawmakers who prioritize clean energy.
More than 280 coal plants, about 40 percent of the U.S. coal fleet, have either closed or announced plans to close since 2010. This new campaign aims to shut down the remaining 241 plants in the country by 2030.
