Is a Green New Deal a Good Idea?

PositionDebate

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, the U.S. was in the depths of the Great Depression. A quarter of Americans were unemployed, there were long lines of hungry people at soup kitchens, and people were desperate. Roosevelt immediately began enacting a series of government programs designed to help Americans and get the economy moving again. The programs were collectively known as the New Deal.

Now, some lawmakers are saying that the threat of climate change demands a similar scope of intervention and investment. They're calling their initiative a Green New Deal. But not everyone thinks this is the right thing to do. Two senators debate whether the nation should adopt a Green New Deal.

YES

A bold plan to transform our global energy system away from fossil fuels is not only a moral imperative for a livable planet, it's an opportunity to build a more just and equitable world.

This is the thinking behind the Green New Deal, an approach to tackling climate change that invests in working people and uproots historical injustices. This vision draws on the spirit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's successful program to end the Great Depression, curb income inequality, and create a more humane society with a strong middle class.

A Green New Deal would make massive public investments in our infrastructure: energy-efficient buildings, a modern energy grid, a green transportation system, and the rapid deployment of wind, solar, and other renewable energy technologies across the country, all manufactured right here in the United States.

A Green New Deal would create millions of family-sustaining, unionized jobs with benefits. It would also protect communities vulnerable to climate change and provide the working people in the fossil fuel industry with training and guaranteed employment opportunities in the green economy.

Many low-income Americans and people of color live in communities that have unsafe drinking water and dangerously polluted air. A Green New Deal would prioritize infrastructure repairs to fix this. It's not a radical idea to suggest that clean drinking water and clean air should be the right of all Americans regardless of their income or the color of their skin.

According to scientists, we have a little more than a decade to make these major changes to avoid irreversible climate destruction. We can't afford not to pursue a Green New Deal. The good news is that there are no technological obstacles to achieving...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT