Why America Needs The Green New Deal

Small steps are great because they inspire action and influence our culture for the better. But, if we want to reverse climate change, at the scale and scope that it requires, we’re going to need big, massive steps including resolutions, environmental laws, and climate policy change.

That's why a resolution like the Green New Deal, which was introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 65 Democratic co-sponsors in February 2019, is so exciting. It offers a roadmap for shifting our entire economy away from fossil fuels while also securing jobs, and other needs, for all Americans.

Rhianna Gunn-Wright is the policy lead for the progressive think tank New Consensus and an architect of the Green New Deal.

“This is about not just dealing with climate change but dealing with it in a way that's going to make the average American far better off and give them far more power both in terms of the political sphere and in terms of how they relate to their employers and what kind of flexibility they have and why resolution versus a specific policy because it's actually really important to get frontline communities into the process,” Gunn-Wright said.

Since the Green New Deal came out, right-wing politicians and pundits have worked tirelessly to dismiss and discredit it but with continued pressure from citizens, activists, and members of Congress, hopefully, we’ll arrive at a candidate that supports aggressive climate policy.