Why a “Green New Deal”?

It’s taken a long time for climate change to become part of the active public conversation in this country.  Too many people are still largely avoiding the topic, but increasingly politicians are feeling they must at least talk about it, and the level of climate activism continues to rise.

The Green New Deal (GND) proposal has created a dramatic shift in the conversation in only a few months.  Last November 200 young people of the Sunrise Movement sat in at Nancy Pelosi’s office, and were joined by the irrepressible, then Representative-elect, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They were demanding that Congress pass a resolution calling for a Green New Deal – a nation-wide mobilization to decarbonize the economy, provide high-paying jobs for all who want them, and address social justice issues, including racism.  The media were captivated.  Soon Bernie Sanders voiced support.  Now most of the Democratic candidates for President have endorsed it publicly or spoken favorably about it.

The power of the Green New Deal proposal seems to come from three key features:

1. It starts with the premise that we need to transform our economy and our society in order to deal with the climate crisis.  It lays out a big, bold vision to meet an immense problem.  It starts with what is needed, rather than being limited to what seems possible politically.

2. It brings together the issues of climate change, jobs, social justice, income, and health that have previously been viewed separately and sees the solutions to these as deeply interrelated.

3. It is being promoted by a unique alliance of young activists, politicians young and old, and policy experts, who are combining dramatic public protest, work in the halls of Congress, deep analysis and research into how to accomplish the goals, and ongoing, in-person organizing across the country.

The Green New Deal Resolution was introduced into Congress by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey.  I find it surprisingly readable, surprisingly concise, and exciting in its clarity about the nature of our problems and its visionary approach.  The full text is available here. 

It begins with a brief, yet powerful description of our related crises of climate change, wage stagnation, job loss, and income inequality.  It states that ” a new national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II and the New Deal era is a historic opportunity….”  It goes on:

“It is the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal—
(A) to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers;
(B) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States;
(C) to invest in the infrastructure and industry of the United States to sustainably meet the challenges of the 21st century;
(D) to secure for all people of the United States for generations to come—

(i) clean air and water;
(ii) climate and community resiliency;
(iii) healthy food;
(iv) access to nature; and
(v) a sustainable environment; and

(E) to promote justice and equity….”

There is somewhat surprising evidence that this is what the public wants.  In December 2018, before most of the public was aware of the GND or in which political party it originated, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication surveyed public opinion.  They told registered voters, “Some members of Congress are proposing a ‘Green New Deal’ for the U.S. They say that a Green New Deal will produce jobs and strengthen America’s economy by accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.” 

They included a few more details and then asked “How much do you support or oppose this idea”.  81% said they support it, including 92% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans!  Now that it has been criticized by Fox News and labeled “socialist”, it would not poll as well, but the broad public support behind the ideas is undeniable.

One of the questions raised has been, “How could we pay for such a program?”  Many thoughtful responses to this question have already been offered, but the short answer is: we’ve figured out how to pay for wars and bank bailouts and tax cuts for the rich; we can figure out how to pay for a Green New Deal.  Furthermore, without a solution like the GND, climate change will result in incalculable costs and losses.

The Green New Deal will not be enacted before the 2020 election, but it provides a powerful platform for candidates to run on.  It is a framework for developing detailed legislative proposals to be ready when a new Congress takes office in January of 2021.

This gives us time to build public support.  The Sunrise Movement has held over 200 town halls in 46 states in the last month to share the Green New Deal plan widely.  Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey are vocal advocates.  More political candidates and officeholders are supporting it.  Policy work to flesh out each point of the plan is being led by the remarkable Rhiana Gunn-Wright, a 2011 Yale graduate, Rhodes Scholar and former Michelle Obama intern, who is the policy director at New Consensus and a key architect of the GND, in collaboration with many others.

It’s not a perfect proposal and is still being developed, but it gets enough right to be worth supporting.  One action we can all take to help stop climate change is to share the features of the Green New Deal and help build widespread understanding and support.

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Note:  An informative 2-page handout on the Green New Deal from New Consensus is available at https://newconsensus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/new_consensus_gnd_2_pager.pdf