Reactions of The Green New Deal (Op-Ed)
The Green New Deal (GND) is the popular topic of the month, from the potential to the practicality issues and will continue to stay relevant as time goes on.
For those late to the full details, The Green New Deal is a compilation of promises for the poor, environmentalists, and free health care enthusiasts.
Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Massachusetts Senator Markey and the youth of the Sunrise Movement campaign advocate for the new deal, assuring boundless promises and unrealistic expectations for change. According to Fox News, Cortez told her fellow representatives in a letter that the Green New Deal calls for a “national, social, industrial and economic mobilization at a scale not seen since World War II.” Apparently, Cortez’s expectations for the deal are set very high, however, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has not called the deal to vote yet.
Clear propositions of the GND efforts are, a GND:
- is necessary to meet the scale and urgency of environmental challenges facing the United States, based on the best available research.
- can bring job growth and economic opportunity, with a particular focus on historically disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
- is popular among American voters and can mobilize them in 2018.
- can be executed in a way that is environmentally just and distributes benefits equitably.
- is financially feasible and necessary.
Furthermore, the data report explains that “a Green New Deal is a broad and ambitious package of new policies and investments in communities, infrastructure, and technology to help the United States achieve environmental sustainability and economic stability.” While these expectations were drawn up a year prior to now, the action steps of this year could take the legislation off the paper and into reality.
Cortez and other supporters have not accounted for the total costs the GND will have on taxpayers and those it’s plans are intending to help. In order to ensure success for the deal, transparency is very crucial. Without allocating the right funds for the proposed plan, unforeseen crises and challenges could cripple the government and outside forces involved in the environmental rescue mission.
The reasoning behind the deal is undoubtedly honest, to support and help America’s disadvantaged communities and create a cleaner atmosphere for the years to come. Advocates like the youth involved in the Sunrise movement, determined to “build an army of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process,” are mobilizing youth and advocates all over to contact their Senators and Representatives to campaign for the new deal.
This GND idea is nothing new to Congress, however, according to Vox Media, “their last big plan — the American Clean Energy and Security Act — passed the House in 2009 but went on to die an unceremonious death before reaching the Senate floor.”
The continual death of various environmental acts may be a signal for those proposing legislation to take a step back and review their suggested plan priorities. When environmental legislation first came to light, during FDR’s time, the change was not immediate. Similarly, the GND’s changes could take ten or more years to reach its desired full effect.
The GND has great potential, but then, “American political history is a long story of wasted potential, of waves of progressive enthusiasm breaking on the rocky shores of Washington, DC, to no lasting effect”, states Vox Media.
The current environment truly is in a state of emergency, no doubt. Republicans have ignored climate change for years and the GND is a critical step in the Democrats take on solving the problem. The GND has lots of potentials, in all the potential areas it proposes to amend. However, the lack of focus on one topic, bouncing between healthcare and emissions makes the deal seem more uncertain and unfounded, which could be a reason for its potential fails in future voting processes. The possibilities of the deal are endless and depend largely on political motives and politicians in power.
