Ronald Ambar: Hispanics want leaders who support clean energy

As a Hispanic business owner, I am deeply concerned about the effects of climate change on my family, my community and my business. Many communities are already experiencing the effects of climate change, like poor air quality and extreme weather, firsthand.

Our economic prosperity and security in Florida will be in jeopardy if these conditions worsen. It is important for people of all parties to support candidates who will advance a clean energy economy for our communities.

It is critical that we act now. Hispanics are 165 percent more likely to live in counties with polluted air. Hispanics are also three times more likely to die from asthma than any other racial or ethnic group, and one in five Hispanic adults are unable to pay for asthma medicines.

Health and economics are intimately linked. We cannot have a healthy economy without a healthy workforce, and businesses will not thrive if their workforce is in debt with medical bills.

Moving to a clean energy economy would reduce the health and economic burden on Hispanic communities. Achieving more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030 will not only save lives, but it will also breathe life into the economy by creating more than a million new jobs.

Transitioning to a clean energy economy is overwhelmingly popular in the Hispanic community. According to polling by Hart Research, 79 percent of Hispanic voters in key battleground states favor a goal to power our country with more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030 and 72 percent say they would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports this goal.

Hispanics are also expected to make up a third of the American workforce in 2050 so we have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the clean-energy economy.

It is not too late to avoid the worst consequences of climate change but time is running out. The longer we delay the transition to a clean energy economy, the more devastating the economic impacts will be on low income communities and many Hispanics.

Powering America with more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030 is a bold, achievable goal that will help address the threat of climate change, grow our national economy, and improve quality of life.

Voters support bold clean energy goals, and now we need to bring that support to the ballot box by selecting candidates who outline concrete plans to achieve #50by30.

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Ronald Ambar is the CEO of Planet Up Technology and the former President of the Central Florida Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce. Column courtesy of Context Florida.