In many ways, it’s easier to imagine a postindustrial wasteland than a political force capable of solving our social and ecological crises. But a carbon-neutral future is within reach, if we fight for it.

It will take big changes in the economy. Hundreds of thousands of workers will have to transition into new jobs as the energy sector is reorganized. Donald Trump may think such a transition is impossible — after all, he spent much of last year crisscrossing America’s energy-producing regions denying the gravity of global warming and bleating about the sweet smell of burning coal. But the transition to a clean economy doesn’t have to come at the expense of good jobs for working people. In fact, a clean energy transition could actually be one source of salvation for the disinvested heartland, especially if energy workers themselves can exert some control over the process.

Here’s one proposal for how the United States electrical grid could buck its reliance on fossil fuels and be 100 percent renewable by 2050.