The record high inflation is hurting millions of Americans. While economists expect that the inflation rate will ease a little bit, it does not seem like it will be a significant drop due to supply chain constraints from the COVID-19 surge in Asia and the raging war in Ukraine. The soaring cost of energy is one of the pain points for American consumers. As the summer approaches, electricity rates are expected to increase further, while gasoline prices continue to remain sky high.  

High energy prices hurt the poor the most, who have to decide between putting food to the table or keeping the lights on. A household paying more than 6% of its annual income on utility bills is considered a household with a high energy burden. More than 15 million households in the U.S. spend over 10% of their annual income on energy bills, which means they have a severe energy burden. Often, such a burden is due to waste of energy from poor insulation and inefficient appliances. Sharonda Williams-Tack, Associate Director of the Healthy Communities Campaign at the Sierra Club, explains energy burden and the importance of addressing it if we are serious about cutting energy waste and tackling climate change.

Offshore wind is about to take off in the U.S. And there is huge excitement about it, except for the fishing industry. In fact, offshore wind is a new threat to fishermen, including for those in my town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who want to have none of it. Offshore wind is considered as one of the important ways for the country to transition to a clean energy economy. But fishermen all across the eastern seaboard believe it will kill their jobs and entire fishing communities.

Despite their resistance, offshore wind projects are moving forward. The fishing industry may have no choice but to adapt to this nascent energy sector and find ways to work with it as much as it refuses to do it right now. And there might be ways the two could find a common ground. We discuss win-win solutions that could work for wind and fishing industries with Bob Myers, a clean energy expert based in Gloucester.

In 2021, Reimagined Communities highlighted some of the inspiring stories of how climate and clean energy activists across America have led their cities to adopt energy transition commitments. As more and more municipalities and states want to go green and ditch fossil fuels, it is all the more important that the transition is just and equitable. In 2022, Reimagined Communities looks forward covering stories on how such a transition is happening.