Before you do anything else, you might want to watch Vox’s extremely simple explanation of the Green New Deal

Green New Deal

GREEN NEW DEAL

GREEN NEW DEAL

The Green New Deal is a non-binding resolution that proposes a path to a total clean energy transition. The resolution, proposed by House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey in February, 2019, is informed by two reports published in 2018 by the UN and federal scientists warning of the dire consequences of global temperature rise. While this was not exactly new, backing from Representative Ocasio-Cortez and the Sunrise Movement catapulted this ambitious solution to climate change into the political spotlight.

The GND is a non-binding resolution, so it would not become law even if approved. Rather, the goals outlined in the document are designed to be achieved over the course of a 10-year national mobilization.  These 14 goals commit the U.S. to funding local climate solutions, achieving 100% renewable energy, updating infrastructure and transit, installing smart power grids, shifting to clean manufacturing and industry, supporting family farming, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable food systems, as well as generating soil carbon storage through ecosystem preservation and afforestation.

Like the social programs of Roosevelt’s wartime New Deal, which was in equal parts ambitious and successful, the Green New Deal places a priority on public programs and worker protection, especially healthcare, labor laws, environmental protections and education. However, it also takes a step further in hopes of addressing what it calls “systemic injustices” to “frontline and vulnerable communities.”  This calls for involving those most impacted by climate change — indigenous people, communities of color, and rural former-industrial states — in developing local solutions and shaping the mobilization effort.

The resolution faced, and continues to face, a mixed reception, with overwhelming support from progressive Democratsoverwhelming rejection by the Republican Party (including a misinformation campaign), and caution from centrist Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy PelosiHowever, whether or not the Green New Deal moves forward into law, it certainly created a progressive national conversation on climate change.

CURRENT NEWS

Good intentions do not always make great legislation

08/09/21
It can often be difficult at a distance to understand the process of law-making in Washington. Aside from the sausage-making analogies which you have already heard, matters are further complicated by both the heavy partisan…

The Green New Deal Does Not, Strictly Speaking, Exist

By Robinson Meyer 07/14/21
Since its ascension in 2018, the Green New Deal has defined the terms of the global climate debate. Perhaps no other climate policy in history has been as successful. Democrats and Republicans alike have been…

These Republicans Are Tiptoeing Toward a Green New Deal

By Eleanor Clift 07/12/21
If you had told climate activists a year ago that the country was on the cusp of $25 billion for electric transmission lines and a smart grid, $7.5 billion for charging stations and $3.5 billion…

AOC slams lawmakers controlled by ‘fossil fuel execs’ in response to New York subway floods

By Gino Spocchia 07/09/21
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called out GOP colleagues in Congress for blocking her Green New Deal amid flooding in New York and New Jersey. Torrential rain brought by storm Elsa on Thursday flooded New York City’s…

Progressives formally reintroduce the Green New Deal

By Anthony Adragna 04/20/21
Progressive lawmakers, led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), on Tuesday formally revived their push for a Green New Deal, leaning into the framework to swiftly transition off fossil fuels that’s…

Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Is No Green New Deal, Progressives Said

By Zahra Hirji and Ryan Brooks 03/31/21
President Joe Biden on Wednesday proposed spending more than $2 trillion to overhaul the nation’s aging infrastructure, from roads to water pipelines and electric grids, in a way that tackles climate change and creates jobs.

NYC Mayoral Front-Runner, Embracing Climate Activists’ Demands, Vows To Ban Fossil Fuels

By Alexander C. Kaufman 01/10/21
Scott Stringer is leaning into the Green New Deal to consolidate support among the Big Apple’s political left.  The 34-page proposal Stringer laid out Sunday would transform the five boroughs, glazing the rooftops with solar…

Climate Crisis Weekly: What ‘Green New Deal’ Really Means

By Michelle Lewis 10/17/20
The phrase “the Green New Deal” is being lobbed around like crazy, with just weeks left until the US election. Variations of the phrase are also used in other countries such as South Korea and in the EU.…

Some Young Republicans Embrace a Slower, Gentler Brand of Climate Activism

By James Bruggers 05/08/20
At the University of Louisville, Myles merged his libertarian-leaning politics with a curiosity about climate change, a subject that kept coming up in English class and in debates with his friends.

Trump claims Democrats ‘want to kill our cows’

By Tom Porter 01/31/20
At a Thursday-night rally in Iowa, President Donald Trump railed against the Green New Deal championed by progressive Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

KEY RESOURCES

Learning With: ‘Nine Key Questions About the Green New Deal’

02/16/20
On Feb. 7, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts introduced a congressional resolution known as the Green New Deal — a sweeping and ambitious call for a “10-year national…

What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained

02/21/19
If you’ve heard a lot recently about the Green New Deal but still aren’t quite sure what it is, you are not alone. After all, it has been trumpeted by its supporters as the way to…

MORE NEWS

Dammed Good Questions about the Green New Deal

By Don Fitz   11/27/19  
Hydroelectric power from dams might be the thorniest issue that proponents of the Green New Deal (GND) have to grapple with. Providing more energy than solar and wind combined, dams could well become the key…

Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez unveil ‘Green New Deal For Public Housing’ bill

By Amanda Mills   11/14/19  
“The Green New Deal for Public Housing would transition the entire public housing stock of the United States, as swiftly and seamlessly as possible, into zero-carbon, highly energy-efficient developments that produce on-site renewable energy, expand…

Wait, 40 percent of white evangelicals support the Green New Deal?

By Kate Yoder   07/29/19  
In the 2016 presidential election, 81 percent of white evangelical Christians voted to elect President Trump. But this core base of the Republican Party, despite Fox News’ efforts, is more receptive to large-scale action to…

The Green New Deal Picks Up Major Christian Endorsements

By Alexander C. Kaufman   07/15/19  
What climate policy would Jesus choose? One that protects nature and lifts up the poor, these Christians say. ...

Five legal principles for the Green New Deal

By Michael Burger   05/22/19  
As the Green New Deal continues to attract attention on both the left and right, a key element has been missing from the conversation: What the law behind all these big ideas might actually look…

Los Angeles Launched Its Own Green New Deal

By Sanjana Karanth   04/29/19  
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti released a plan for the country’s second-largest city to be carbon neutral by 2050.

When Did Moral Clarity Become Radical?

By Nathaniel Rich   04/20/19  
It was not so long ago that a young congresswoman proposed major climate legislation that would transform the national energy system and, with it, the economy. Speaking on the floor of the House, she lamented…

Why Ed Markey, the Co-Sponsor of the Green New Deal, May Be Hopeful For Its Chances

By James Carroll   04/02/19  
The Green New Deal is generally treated as a wild-eyed scheme of the Congressional Democrats’ liberal youth caucus, most particularly of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But, if she is the fresh face behind the “aspirational” climate fix…

John Hickenlooper: The Green New Deal sets us up for failure. We need a better approach

By John Hickenlooper   03/26/19  
Climate change is a defining challenge of our time, and yet we have a president who is taking us in the wrong direction. He withdrew our country from the Paris climate accords.

Climate Challenge Will Be Harder Than It Seems, JPMorgan Executive Warns

By Christopher Flavelle   03/20/19  
The world isn’t cutting carbon emissions anywhere near quickly enough, a senior executive at J.P. Morgan Asset Management told clients this week -- and changing that will require far harder choices than most people realize.

Green New Deal vs. Carbon Tax: A Clash of 2 Worldviews, Both Seeking Climate Action

By Marianne Lavelle   03/04/19  
Congress is in uncharted territory on climate policy. For the first time ever, lawmakers face competing approaches to reviving U.S. climate action. And despite hostility from the White House, each has significant support and the…

The Key to the Environmental Crisis is Beneath Our Feet

By Ellen Brown   01/28/10  
The Green New Deal resolution that was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in February hit a wall in the Senate, where it was called unrealistic and unaffordable. In a Washington Post article titled…
VOX

The Green New Deal, explained

By David Roberts   02/07/19  
An insurgent movement is pushing Democrats to back an ambitious climate change solution.

The Story Behind the Green New Deal’s Meteoric Rise

By Sam Adler-Bell   02/06/19  
How twelve young activists forced a bold idea into the mainstream of the Democratic Party.

A Decisive Year for the Sunrise Movement and the Green New Deal

By Osita Nwanevu   05/14/19  
Six months ago on Tuesday, climate activists with the Sunrise Movement, joined by the incoming congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, held a sit-in at the office of the incoming House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, demanding that House Democrats…

Green New Deal gains traction on the campaign trail

By Dino Grandoni   06/07/19  
Momentum for the Green New Deal is building — not so much in the halls of Congress, but on the presidential campaign trail. Even though Senate quashed the proposal earlier this year, three different 2020 hopefuls this…

Wanted: Corporate leadership for the Green New Deal

By Dan Reich   04/30/19  
There is growing public debate about the Green New Deal, but businesses have largely stayed out of it. That’s a mistake. The Green New Deal offers businesses a chance to work with regulators and environmental…

People Actually Like the Green New Deal

By Sean McElwee Graphic by Ash Ngu   03/27/19  
Mitch McConnell’s show vote in the Senate on Tuesday rejected the plan, but Republicans may come to regret their mockery.

How Much Will the ‘Green New Deal’ Cost?

By Jessica McDonald   03/14/19  
Since the ambitious and controversial Green New Deal debuted last month, Republicans and Democrats have sparred over the cost of the measure — a nonbinding resolution that broadly outlines how the U.S. should address climate…

More Diverse Green Groups Push for More Ambitious Climate Policy

By Jeremy Deaton   02/27/19  
“We just can’t play defense.”

Want a Green New Deal, Here’s a Better One

By The Editorial Board   02/27/19  
WE FAVOR a Green New Deal to save the planet. We believe such a plan can be efficient, effective, focused and achievable. The Green New Deal proposed by congressional Democrats does not meet that test.

What’s Green? What’s The Deal?

By The Editorial Board   02/24/19  
The ambitious plan has had a rocky start, but it has also changed the national conversation. That alone is reason to applaud it.

A Green New Deal Isn’t Ready for Prime Time

By Noah Smith   02/21/19  
Progressives are making a mistake if they place their entire agenda in a single plan.

The Green Deal Meets America’s Myopia

By Joel Makower   02/12/19  
It’s a big idea, born of common sense, that potentially empowers and engages all Americans. Let’s explore it and figure out how some version of it can come to pass. So, please stop for a…

The Green New Deal and the New Deal: Is the Analogy Apt?

By Alan Krupnick   02/11/19  
With the resolution to create a Green New Deal just released, it is useful to look back at the original New Deal as a point of comparison.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just released the Green New Deal — here’s what’s in it

By Tom DiChristopher   02/07/19  
Freshman Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and veteran lawmaker Sen. Edward Markey are introducing a resolution spelling out congressional support for a Green New Deal — an ambitious plan to remake the U.S. economy and drastically…

The Energy 202: Ocasio-Cortez, Markey unveil Green New Deal with backing of four presidential candidates

By Dino Grandoni and Jeff Stein   02/07/19  
For months, the term Green New Deal has been bandied about by Democrats in Congress and on the campaign trail for president as their catchall phrase for a sweeping effort to halt runaway climate change.

Why Some U.S. democrats want a ‘Green New Deal’ to tackle climate change

By Zeke Hausfather   02/07/19  
The text of a green new deal resolution for the US House of Representatives has been released. A section has been added at the end of this article to discuss the contents of the plan.