Rose Moore

G 184
Glazewski
10 March 2019
Extra Credit Paper: The Green New Deal

In this essay I will discuss the recently reintroduced Green New Deal (GND). The GND

has many aspects; the two most important being combating climate change by moving America

to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This will be done by investing in renewable

energy sources, redesigning our high emissions sectors and stimulating the economy by creating

millions of new jobs in green industries. A background of the GND and it’s earlier introduction

into the political sphere, the aspects just mentioned and their feasibility will be discussed in this

essay.

The GND is a resolution that was recently introduced by house representative Alexandria

Ocasio-Cortez, along with democratic senator ED Markey. It was introduced to the house on

February 7th, 2019. The concept of a Green New Deal was originally introduced in 2008 by the

Green New Deal Group, then gained popularity when advocated for by the United Nations

Environment Programme. It gained popularity again when it was presented in 2012 by

presidential candidate Jill Stein, as part of the Green Party platform. Each form of the GND

included efforts to mitigate climate change and a plan to transition to renewable energy sources.

The GND that has recently been introduced takes a stronger stance towards implementation of

social reforms along with mitigation. These two things will go hand in hand as the GND

proposes to create millions of new jobs in green industries and providing American citizens with

quality higher education to play their important role in combating climate change along with

their government.

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 The top three focuses of the current GND are decarbonization, jobs and justice. As we

can see with the latter two focuses, and as was mentioned above, the GND covers more reforms

than those that concern the environment and the effects of climate change. The GND is a

resolution to combat climate change along with implementing social reforms to better the future

of our next generations. It is not a bill that is necessarily forcing congress into action or to begin

enacting any laws that align with the issues presented in the resolution. A main goal of the GND

is to see who will stand behind it, if the principles set in the GND resonate with the members of

congress enough for them to be considered in future planning and law making to combat climate

change. The GND takes inspiration from the social reform provided by Franklin D. Roosevelt's

New Deal, implemented during the great depression, and combines it with modern ideas towards

mitigation of climate change. It is important to sponsors of this GND to include social reform

because of the social groups that are most vulnerable to climate change. The groups are called

“frontline and vulnerable communities” in the resolutions text (S.res.59, Senator Edward

Markey). Frontline and vulnerable communities include indigenous peoples, those living in

poverty, rural communities and the elderly. Sponsors of the GND include in the resolution that

people from these communities will be included and helped to participate in mitigation efforts,

specifically at local levels.

In the resolutions introduced by the senate this past February, the term “technologically

feasible” is used often. This term is used to say that we are not going to have the solutions right

away and that the logistics of truly implementing a GND, or designing any of its aspects as laws

to be passed, are continuing to unfold. Ideas in terms of what to implement to reduce emissions,

which will follow in the next paragraph, are concrete but not under way. This is because this

GND is a framework, it does not specifically state how actions will be taken or what their cost

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will be. It suggests things like social reforms, investing in renewable energy sources and

reducing emissions in various sectors.

The GND has been described as a system of objectives, the most important being a net

zero greenhouse gas emissions goal in the U.S. by 2030. This would involve drastic changes in

the United States energy grid and energy sources, city and transportation infrastructure and the

United States economy. These changes include a full transition to using renewable energy

sources, rebuilding or retrofitting buildings to be more energy and water efficient, introducing

more electric (no emission) vehicles into the market and installing more charging stations,

increasing citizen use of public transportation and implementing high speed trains that could

lessen the need for air travel. The GND also aims to ensure that any bill concerning

infrastructure to be considered by congress will address climate change and its effects. Changes

in high emitting sectors are discussed below.

Implementing the GND would require public investment in the research, development

and implementation of renewable energy sources. Zero carbon emitting sources like wind, solar,

geothermal and nuclear have been implemented for some time, but under the GND we will have

to up the ante. The GND states that we must meet 100 percent of the United states power

demand by rapidly expanding and upgrading our existing renewable energy sources. This can be

done by upgrading to energy efficient “smart power grids” (S. Res. 59, Senator Markey) that also

ensure affordable access for American citizens.

Senator Markey, Ocasio-Cortez co sponsor, was remembered for his 2009 Waxman-

Markey cap and trade bill that never went into law. Cap and trade programs that were included in

earlier forms of a GND resolution are not fully ruled out of the recent GND, but more focus is

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put on the emission sectors. The transportation sector, being the highest greenhouse gas emitter

in the United States as of 2016, having a heavy focus.

(Fig. 1 source: United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Sources of

Greenhouse Gas Emissions)

The GND proposes a overhaul of public transportation, local and regional. The GND

aims to provide clean, affordable and accessible public transportation, as well as the

implementation of high speed rails as other countries such as Japan and France have done. As the

logistics of implementing these services are worked out, we are seeing that pushing forward and

investing in the market for electric vehicles has become pertinent, for not every American citizen

can or should rely on public transportation. Reasons include infrastructure, specifically in

southern U.S. cities that will likely be most affected by climate events like storms and rising sea

levels. Those living in rural communities will have to rely on a vehicle when they are eventually

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asked to evacuate. Another reason related to infrastructure is the difference between monocentric

and polycentric cities; some cities are just not designed for proper public transportation and its

implementation would be costly and messy.

Jobs per acre in New York City. As we can see, jobs are mostly concentrated in one area, making

public transportation easier to design and able to make the American citizens commute to work

fairly efficient. (Fig. 2 source: EPA Smart Location Map Viewer, Environmental Protection

Agency)

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In Atlanta and Phoenix, concentration of job location is farther apart compared to New York

City, and these cities have not had as strong of a public transportation system in place, especially

for as long of a period as New York City. Therefore it is more efficient for workers to use a

vehicle to make their commute to work. (Fig. 3 source: EPA Smart Location Map Viewer,

Environmental Protection Agency)

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions the GND must address manufacturing. The GND

aims to expand manufacturing that operates on renewable energy and to invest in existing

manufacturing practices to make them more energy efficient or help them transition to using

renewable sources. The GND also aims to regrow domestic manufacturing in the

United States, cutting emissions in other countries by operating in a more restricted setting.

In terms of agriculture, the GND aims to invest in sustainable farming practices that

increase soil health and aid in carbon sequestration, such as regenerative and conservative

agriculture. The aim is to expand sustainable soil and farming practices by 30 percent in the next

20 years. The GND also aims to build a more sustainable food system, possibly one that provides

a more plant based diet and lessens the need for animal agriculture.

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 The GND promises environmental protection and restoration by ensuring water sources

and public lands are protected and not abused as well as investing in and following through with

afforestation efforts. The GND also has a focus on cleaning up hazardous waste sites,

brownfields, and making them no longer a threat to the environment and the people living next to

them. This will go on to increase property value and quality of life for residents. Practices

proposed by the GND such as ecosystem restoration, with an aim to restore 5 million acres on

wetlands by 2050 (Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018), and afforestation and reforestation,

with an aim to restore 40 million acres of forests by 2035, will also aid in carbon sequestration.

Investing in the GND and each of the aspects just described will stimulate the economy

and create millions of jobs, specifically 10 million it its first 10 years of implementation

(Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018). Jobs in solar power wind farms and efficient energy

sectors have been growing quickly, giving a sign that future jobs will be green jobs. Redesigning

infrastructure and transportation, regrowing domestic manufacturing and implementing practices

to regenerate agriculture and protect the environment are all job creators. According to Data For

Progress, just investing in rebuilding the energy grid would boost the GDP by $147 billion and

create 1.1 million jobs. Investments in providing renewable energy sources on a local level and

increasing manufacturing of electric vehicles will create jobs as well.

The cost of the GND would not compare to the cost of the negative effects of climate

change we will experience if we do not make efforts towards reducing emissions; destruction of

United States coastal real estate, social service implementation for those affected, the rebuilding

of infrastructure and not to mention the 280 billion dollars we would be preparing to spend in

2100 to adapt “just the nation's roads and railways to the damaging effects of climate change”

(Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018). We lost 300 billion dollars to natural disasters in 2017

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alone, due to hurricanes and wildfires (Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018). Costs for all if

these transitions are not specifically stated in this resolution, but Ocasio-Cortez did naturally

have to face the question after introducing it. Ocasio-Cortez states in the FAQ of this GND,

launched on February 7th, 2019, that government subsidies towards renewable energy

investments will not be enough in terms of meeting the goal of net zero greenhouse gas

emissions by 2030. Also stated in the FAQ when questioned about how to meet the costs of this

GND was that it will be met in the same way the 1933 New Deal was met; through Federal

Reserve Spending and bank bailouts, as well as the creation of new public banks to extend

spending credits (“Green New Deal FAQ”, 2019).

The GND is under attack for its perceived socialist agenda. It goes unsaid that the social

objectives of the GND are reaching very high; stating it will provide all American citizens with

affordable and high quality healthcare, affordable housing, economic security through the

creation of jobs and support for those “not willing to work” after or during transition to the use of

renewable energy sources (H. Res. 109, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), clean water and air, healthy

and affordable food and finally, access to nature, for all American citizens. As was feared after

the introduction and during the implementation of the New Deal in 1933, these social changes

that require economic reform could devastate the economy. Sponsors of the GND state that it is

pertinent to strengthen the American workforce and support those affected by natural changes

associated with climate change and social and economic changes associated with mitigation.

Though the GND may be under attack in some aspects, Americans agree with its strong

points such as the idea of climate change being real and humans being the cause, environmental

protection and green job creation. According to Data For Progress, Americans think that

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environmental protection will go hand in hand with creating jobs, this is true as we can see

illustrated by the information above and this graphic.

(Fig. 4 source: Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018, American National Election Studies, Data

for Progress)

A key aspect of Americans supporting a Green New Deal is the voter turnout it is likely

to produce. National polling suggests that young voters are likely to support initiatives to create

new green jobs and vote for candidates who stand behind them. Though a candidate supporting

green jobs will also be advocating for clean energy we can see through this poll that Americans

care about environmental protection and restoration going hand in hand with stimulating the

economy.

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(Fig. 5 source: Carlock, Mangan & McElwee, 2018, Net support for candidates running on green

policies by age, Data For Progress)

As was stated earlier, the GND is simply a framework, it does not contain specific plans

of action or set costs of action. It suggests practices and goals for the United States to begin

participating in or getting behind, to ensure a viable future for all Americans. The fear of

economic reformation to be able to transition to using renewable energy sources and redesigning

manufacturing, agricultural and transportation sectors is real among citizens and politicians.

Ocasio-Cortez herself states that it would take a mobilization like that of WWII to meet the goals

suggested by this GND. The promotion of international exchange of technology, expertise

products, funding and services is necessary for this plans implementation and to help the

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American people see that climate change mitigation is not a hoax or simply a socialist agenda. It

is real and pertinent to maintaining quality of life for all Americans.

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 References

Carlock, G., Mangan, E. & McElwee, S. (September, 2018). A Green New Deal, a Progressive

Vision for a Environmental Sustainability and Economic Stability. Data for Progress.

Data for Progress. Retrieved March 10, 2019 from

https://www.dataforprogress.org/green-new-deal

Green New Deal FAQ. (2019, February, 7). Retrieved March 10, 2019, from

https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=5729035-Green-New-Deal-FAQ

Green Party of the United States. (N.D.) Green New Deal. Green Party of the United States.

Retrieved March 10, 2019 from https://www.gp.org/green_new_deal

Markey, E. 2019, February, 7. S.RES.59.

Ocasio-Cortez, A. 2019, February, 7. H.RES.109.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (N.D.) Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved March 10, 2019 from

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

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