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Orange RPU PY 2025-2028 Regional Plan <br />46 | Page <br /> <br />VI. CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY <br /> <br />As California moves toward a carbon-neutral economy, the Orange RPU recognizes the <br />importance of aligning workforce strategies with the Orange County Climate Action Plan <br />(CAP) and the Jobs First Regional Plan for Orange County to ensure workforce <br />investments support climate action and equitable economic growth. These efforts ensure <br />that the economic benefits of green jobs reach disinvested communities most impacted <br />by climate change. Low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately <br />experience environmental harm due to pollution, extreme heat, and other climate-related <br />risks. Yet, they have historically been underrepresented in industries driving the clean <br />energy transition. To address these disparities, the RPU will actively integrate workforce <br />strategies with the CAP and Jobs First Regional Plan, ensuring these communities gain <br />equitable access to high-quality, family-sustaining careers in clean energy and climate- <br />resilient industries. <br /> <br />A. Supporting a climate-neutral transition <br /> <br />As emerging green sectors expand, new skills will be required in zero-emission vehicle <br />production and maintenance, renewable energy, climate mitigation, water and waste <br />management, and building decarbonization84. The RPU will collaborate with regional <br />partners to identify workforce gaps and establish career pathways in these industries, <br />ensuring that workers, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, are <br />prepared for high-quality jobs that align with California’s climate policies. To achieve this, <br />the RPU will integrate workforce strategies with the Orange County CAP Jobs First <br />Regional Plan, focusing on: <br /> <br />• Expanding green job training programs and career pathways in renewable energy, <br />advanced transportation, and sustainable industries. <br />• Ensuring workforce training supports climate resilience and sustainable business <br />practices. <br />• Engaging historically underrepresented communities in clean energy job <br />opportunities. <br />• Aligning workforce initiatives with state climate policies and decarbonization <br />strategies. <br /> <br />Recognizing that the clean energy transition must be inclusive, the RPU will integrate <br />equity-driven workforce development strategies, prioritizing training and job placement <br />efforts that serve populations disproportionately affected by climate change. This includes <br />engaging employers in clean energy sectors, advocating for workforce training <br />investments that serve underrepresented groups, and collaborating with community- <br />based organizations to ensure economic inclusion. Additionally, the RPU will work to <br />integrate support services into training programs to help address non-skill-related <br />employment barriers. <br /> <br />Given the scale of statewide decarbonization efforts, such as California’s commitment to <br />achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles <br /> <br />84 Mark Muro, Adie Tomer, Ranjitha Shivaram, and Joseph Kane, Advancing Inclusion Through Clean Energy Jobs (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2019), <br />https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019.04_metro_Clean-Energy-Jobs_Report_Muro-Tomer-Shivaran-Kane_updated.pdf. <br />EXHIBIT 1