NEW YORK – During Climate Week, the governors of Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah announced the creation of Climate Corps in each state, partnering with California and its nation-leading Climate Action Corps – the first state-level program of its kind. 

Combined, the bipartisan group of five states represent more than a fifth of the United States by population – making this a major milestone in delivering climate action at the community level. This makes for a total of 10 states in the U.S. with a climate corps program. Today’s announcement also complements a new effort by the Biden-Harris Administration to launch an American Climate Corps.

As a part of California’s comprehensive strategy to address the climate crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom created the California Climate Action Corps in 2020 – providing a case study on the success of climate-based and statewide service programs that empower climate action through volunteer and fellowship opportunities. Fellows can gain hands-on work experience in urban greening, wildfire resiliency, and organic waste and edible food recovery activities.