The Sunrise Movement is an ongoing movement, evident enough as it began in 2017. This provides an explanation towards how the results that the movement has provided, which are outlined on this page, are effectively ongoing as well. Although this may be true, the acknowledgement and promotion of the importance of tackling climate change is an accomplishment in itself as it provides a gateway to accomplish even greater endeavors in the future for the betterment of the environment.
The accomplishments that the Sunrise Movement manifested came to fruition due to voter turnout in the 2020 election. Voters were able to enact change by having the newly elected president, Joe Biden, promise to follow and uphold a climate mandate which the movement created. Shortly after elected, President Biden arranged policies that aligned with the premise of the climate mandate. Not only was the election of the president crucial, voters also played a foremost part with electing representatives that were in congruence to the Green New Deal, a plan to improve climate while providing a sustainable economy to the country. Furthermore, within the Green New Deal resides the Good Jobs for All campaign, a plan to guarantee jobs while addressing infrastructure and climate disaster needs.
All of the Sunrise Movement’s accomplishments could have not been possible without the people voting to address climate change and ultimately voting for a better future.
One major accomplishment of the Sunrise Movement was their campaign effort for Joe Biden during the 2020 election. They reached out to a staggering 6.5 million voters during election season via calls, texts, and postcards. On their website, they highlight that this election had the largest youth turnout in US voting history.
Biden’s election was a huge win for climate change activists, as he promised during his presidential run that one of his main focuses in office would be addressing climate change. In response to Biden’s promise to combat climate change, the Sunrise Movement created the Climate Mandate, a set of policies for Biden to enact to stop climate change and its political and economic consequences. One major request in the Climate Mandate is the establishment of the Office of Climate Mobilization. This organization would ensure that all parts of the federal government are actively working to reduce actions that harm the environment, including budgets, regulations, and policies. The Sunrise Movement argues that establishing this office would be in Biden’s control, and not influenced by the Republican party (specifically Mitch McConnell).
With the highest youth voter turnout ever, the Sunrise Movement had a direct impact on President Biden’s win against former President Donald Trump. The Sunrise Movement’s agenda to combat the climate crisis was fundamental to the formation of Biden’s climate plan. In March 2021, Biden proposed an infrastructure plan known as “The American Jobs Plan.” Intended to ‘jumpstart the welfare economy for the 21st century,’ the American rescue plan works toward the Green New Deal, tackling climate change and investing in manufacturing, research, and development. This one-time capital investment ensures long-term growth in our nation’s productivity and will transition the energy grid to expand renewable energy.
In his first 100 days of presidency, President Biden answered the demands of the Sunrise Movement and the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement. The United States looks to use its weight as an economic and diplomatic player in the agreement and push other countries to do more on climate change. In addition, Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline that would have generated 1.5 billion tons of greenhouse emissions and lead to irreversible environmental consequences. Activists in the Sunrise Movement fought hard to bring awareness to the pipeline’s threats to climate, ecosystems, and drinking water sources. Seen as one of this generation’s most monumental environmental victories, Biden fulfilled his promise to revoke its permit and transition to clean energy sources for a prosperous future.
More recently, in November 2021 Biden implemented the “Build Back Better plan,” a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, as a part of the American Jobs Plan. Built into his economic agenda, the package includes federal investments in roads and bridges, transit and rail, and most importantly, will win the electrical vehicle market and improve water and energy systems. With the conversion to all electric vehicles, Biden ensures that they will be affordable for all families in an effort to reduce fossil fuels, and implement low emission buses and ferries around the country. The plan will also replace lead service lines and pipes to provide clean drinking water to all citizens, as well as new power lines and an emphasis on renewable energy.
Another accomplishment of the Sunrise Movement was aiding in the elections of representatives with climate change agendas. Recently, Green New Deal leaders Ed Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were elected to congress with the campaigning help and endorsement of the Sunrise Movement. The Green New Deal, a 10-year plan to decrease carbon emissions while creating jobs and keeping the economy afloat, is supported and spread by the Sunrise Movement. Markey and Ocasio-Cortez’s elections were successes for the Sunrise Movement, as they now have influential figures fighting for their cause in the government.
The Green New Deal addresses not only climate change, but racial justice as well. Climate change disproportionately affects disenfranchised/minority populations. For example, these communities are more likely to experience higher levels of pollution. The leaders of the Green New Deal recognize that minorities are at higher risk of being affected by any changes in the economy or the job market that the deal would create, so ensuring that these populations are not harmed during the transition to clean energy is a main focus.
The focus on disenfranchised people in the Green New Deal is anti-neoliberal. Neoliberalism puts profit and financial freedom as a priority; if people are treated unequally as a result, that means capitalism is working. The Green New Deal, on the other hand, is attempting to proactively prevent this unequal treatment of disenfranchised groups.
One of the Sunrise Movement’s more subtle accomplishments is their Good Jobs for All campaign, an ongoing initiative to guarantee jobs to anyone who wants them. These jobs work towards building more sustainable communities, where human and environmental needs are the priority. Incorporated with this campaign is advocating for the Green New Deal, which entails having good, community-building jobs for anyone wanting them.
The ongoing campaign focuses on COVID-19 economic reparations, and giving jobs to the millions of Americans without one. Additionally, the Good Jobs for All Campaign and the Green New Deal both emphasize sustainability in a world where climate disasters are worsening. Repairing and rebuilding infrastructure are some of the jobs that can protect America as climate change magnifies, both preparing for our future and improving our current economy.
The Sunrise Movement has a pre-written letter for others to send to their representatives, as well as pledges for government officials, candidates, and constituents to fill out. The campaign entails these letters and pledges, as well as a plan to protest to make more noise about the issue.