Environmentalists see victory with Green New Deal blitz

Environmentalists and lawmakers are praising a Democratic messaging blitz that they say has put the problem of global warming back at the forefront of the national conversation. Since Democrats took back control of the House, roughly 14 congressional hearings have been held on topics related to climate change, a striking change from the years when Republicans ran both chambers of Congress. Polls are also showing that many Democratic voters are concerned about climate change, increasing the odds, green groups hope, that candidates will talk about the issue and potentially take action if they are elected. New debates also have opened up in both the House and Senate on the need to tackle climate change, putting pressure on GOP lawmakers to put together their own plans and raising the temperature on Democrats to take more serious legislative steps on the issue. “Obviously we’ve seen a much more substantive debate on how we address climate change and build a thriving green economy,” said Charlie Cray, senior research specialist at GreenPeace. “Until now, all we’ve seen is Republicans denying climate change is real and Democrats pushing back based on science. And that’s not enough.” For Elizabeth Schuster, energy policy manager at Food and Water Watch, the change in messaging in Congress has been night and day. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Although they were slowed by the shutdown, the [Democratic leadership] created the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis, the House was able to hold hearings on climate change, it’s a big welcome change,” she said...MORE