Democrats unveil Green New Deal that would compel government to make radical changes

A resolution outlining the goals of an ambitious progressive plan to overhaul the U.S. economy across all sectors, from finance to energy to social services, was rolled out Thursday with the aim of driving future legislation. The Green New Deal resolution sponsored in the House by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and in the Senate by Massachusetts Democrat Edward J. Markey cites urgent warnings in two recent major climate reports to compel the federal government to act urgently on the radical changes they say would make the U.S. resilient and sustainable across all sectors. The resolution would force lawmakers in the House and the Senate to take a position on the Green New Deal and its ambitious goals of significantly remaking the U.S. economy within a decade of when the plan starts. It calls for a move to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions “through a fair and just transition” for all communities and workers; to invest in sustainable infrastructure and industry; to ensure everyone has access to clean air and water and healthy food; to ensure communities are resilient to the impacts of climate change; and to guarantee jobs with family-sustaining wages. It would also direct the government to take steps to stop and prevent the oppression of, and promote justice and equity for, the so-called frontline and vulnerable communities, including indigenous peoples, communities of color, migrant communities, the poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities. To get to those goals, the government would have to embark on a “Green New Deal mobilization,” a 10-year project that involves significant overhauls of the country’s infrastructure, transitioning to 100 percent renewable and zero-emission energy, and changes in sectors of the economy, from transportation to farming. Estimates on what it would cost to implement the ideas of the Green New Deal vary widely, but those who have dared a guess say it would be at least in the trillions of dollars. A Stanford University study estimates that it would require an upfront capital investment of $13.4 trillion to transition to a 100 percent renewable energy system of wind, water and solar by 2050...MORE