Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey have unveiled their proposals for the “Green New Deal,” which they have been discussing in less specific terms for some time now. Ocasio-Cortez is a rising star among the progressive wing of the Democratic Party- as well as a new favorite target of the right- so the proposal is sure to get attention from both sides.
The proposal sets out a collection of principles for tackling climate change as well as reducing economic inequality. It calls for massive investments in green infrastructure and renewable energy sources that they say will creates millions of jobs and move the U.S. toward being carbon-neutral.
It’s an extremely ambitious plan, and the designers are fully aware of that. But they point out that not even the environmental proposals of those on the left who acknowledge the threat of climate change would make a significant dent in the damage being done to the environment and the climate. Scientists say that even if countries stuck to the agreements they made in the Paris Agreement to fight climate change the world would still experience significant disaster. President Trump removed the U.S. from that agreement and many other countries have failed to live up to their commitments as well.
The proposal is a non-binding resolution, so it would only serve as a guiding principle for future legislation and not establish any firm laws itself. Still, it’s extremely unlikely to pass. The point is to lay out what the liberal wing of the Democratic Party is fighting for.
Even the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, appeared to write it off. She spoke of the proposal dismissively by pretending to not even know the name it. If the Democratic leadership feels that way about it, you can just imagine how the Republican Party feels about it.
