[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OMGQoXEVE0]
Modified at 1:01 PST
The Green New Deal is a resolution that* aims to create millions of “good, high-wage jobs while striving for net zero greenhouse gas emissions.” (The Hill) it is spearheaded by one of the newer members of congress, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY). For those that are interested, it was posted by NPR on Thursday morning. Senator Ed Markey is also expected to submit something similar to Senate.
Some of the consequences of climate change remaining unchecked was listed in the bill. One of the things The Green New Deal bill states is that there is will be 500 billion dollars in lost annual economic output for the United States . The bill states that global greenhouse gas emission from human sources must be reduced in between 40-60 percent by 2030 and must be at zero by 2050. Some questions still remain, what will this “New Green Deal” do? It is basically a 10 year mobilization project that emphasizes unionized labor and emissions reduction.
The more conservative, free market-focused Institute for Energy Research tweeted on Thursday, “There’s one more clue to clinch it for the naïve reader, to realize that the #GreenNewDeal really isn’t merely a technical solution to the problem of negative externalities: The word ‘nuclear’ doesn’t appear once in the entire draft legislation.” Megan Geuss
But are all democratic on board with this “Green New Deal”? On Thursday morning, Pelosi said, “I haven’t seen it, but I do know that it’s enthusiastic and we welcome all the enthusiasms that are out there.” People may say that’s welcoming but is this her way of saying that Cortez has a pipe dream and nothing more, after all she did say it was a “green dream”.
The main skepticism that democrats generally have is the ability to slash carbon emissions that quickly. 10 years as a goal for carbon free electricity doesn’t seem realistic to Senator Angus King (I-ME) Even Ernest Moniz who was Barack Obama’s energy secretary says having 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 is unrealistic.
NPR shared that there are more than 50 lawmakers that are co-sponsoring the Green new Deal resolution. Their political editor, Domenico Montanaro read the bill and said that there is no real specific statements in the Green New Deal on how to get climate change under control. The other thing that people are going to be concerned about is how this affects their pocketbook. Even Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez did not have any real good idea of how to pay for this bill other than taxes and deficit spending which is something that Democrats have been critical about towards Republicans.
John Barrasso (R-WY) said, “As Democrats take a hard left turn, this radical proposal would take our growing economy off the cliff and our nation into bankruptcy. It’s the first step down a dark path to socialism.” which clearly highlighted the idea that the proposal has zero chance of gaining support in the Republican-controlled Senate. (Anna Edgerton, Ari Natter and Bloomberg)
Is this another deal that will never see light of the day? There is a Clean Air Act in 1970 which had initially not designed to address climate change and it is believed by Center for Climate Change and Energy Solutions that the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst consequence of climate change is a comprehensive market-based approach. This would place a cost on carbon and despise support from businesses and environmental communities, there have been no other debate since the failure of cap-and-trade legislation in 2009.
Climate Change and Energy Solutions has a few suggestions on how congress can address climate change issues which includes: Incentivizing carbon capture, use, and storage, advancing nuclear energy, improving energy efficiency, modernizing infrastructure, maintaining America’s scientific edge, building community resilience, and obtaining international support. How does this list of suggestions compare to the Green New Deal?
*DSTidbit News incorrectly labeled this as a piece of legislation which has been corrected to reflect that it is NOT a piece of legislation but rather a resolution.
