The Green New Deal

According to a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if world emissions continue at their current rate, the Earth will face a 1.5- to 2-degree Celsius warming between the years 2030 and 2060. That means that if we do nothing to curb this trend, we have only eleven years left before catastrophic flooding would put Miami, the southern tip of Manhattan, and many low-lying coastal regions under water.

But 67 Democrats–led by freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Ed Markley of Massachusetts–have introduced a plan to intervene and turn the tide of this grim future. This resolution, called the Green New Deal, is a plan to completely overhaul the U.S.’s energy, manufacturing, and transportation systems over the next ten years. But is it possible? Here, Election Central takes a closer look.

What Does The Plan Involve?

The goals of the Green New Deal include:

• Cutting all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero over ten years
• Investing heavily in wind and solar production, energy-efficient buildings and high-speed rail
• Funding projects to protect people from disasters related to climate change, such as extreme weather events
• Working with farmers and ranchers to improve sustainability in agriculture
• Encouraging land preservation and tree planting, to help pull carbon dioxide out of the air naturally
• Cleaning up hazardous waste
• Encouraging the international community to follow suit by helping other countries to craft their own Green New Deal

What Was the Reaction?

Democrats, including nearly every declared Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, voiced widespread support for the resolution. However, it quickly faced challenges from Republican opponents. Just a few days after the legislative proposal was announced, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s office released a fact sheet that didn’t match up with the resolution itself. Conservative critics pounced on this inconsistency as proof that the plan is flawed and poorly thought out. (Ocasio-Cortez’s office later reported that the fact sheet was an early draft that was leaked accidentally.)

Republicans also took issue with several of the more progressive ideas proposed in the Deal, such as Medicare for everyone, guaranteed jobs, and free education. The GOP critics also argued that it’s impossible for such widespread change to occur within a ten-year time frame. Still, most Democrats support the Green New Deal as a bold starting point to address a looming global crisis.

How Has Trump Responded?

The president has vowed that the Green New Deal will never see the light of the day, claiming that it will cost $100 trillion and shut down American energy and air travel. Trump also stated that American companies would all end up moving to China as a result, and that no other countries would follow the U.S.’s lead or participate in the Deal.

What Do You Think? Based on what you’ve heard and seen in the news, do you support the Green New Deal? Why or why not?