Green New Deal or Green No Deal?

Although scientists predict that the end of the human race may come about in the next billion years, a recent report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that a global catastrophe may occur much sooner due to uncontrolled carbon emissions. According to the report, we only have 12 years before the climate warms 1.5 degrees Celsius, beyond which even a small increase would yield devastating natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods and the ruining of millions of lives.

Due to inaction by the Trump administration, Democrats have taken this issue into their own hands. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York recently proposed the Green New Deal, which deals with a wide range of civil issues and outlines several steps to eliminate carbon emissions entirely. According to NPR, the plan promises to transform the economy through large investments in clean energy technology. The deal simultaneously attempts to tend to minorities and impoverished communities that may be especially affected by the new policy.

Some kind of policy like the Green New Deal is clearly necessary: Massive reforms will have to take place to reduce carbon emissions significantly in the next decade as dictated by the IPCC report.

But that begs the question: Is the deal too ambitious? Can the Democrats pull off something of such massive scale, especially with a Republican president and Senate who clearly don’t see obvious environmental threats as actual threats?

The truth is that the Green New Deal probably won’t become law in its full form. There are simply too many partisan divides, and such radical changes are unlikely to make it through Congress.

Furthermore, the funds required for such a massive societal change are simply not available. Realistically, minor changes such as carbon taxes or small-scale regulations on carbon emissions are within reach, but an entire overhaul of U.S. infrastructure is out of the picture.

In the end, the true power of the deal lies in the fact that it has brought the issue of climate change to the forefront of American politics, especially among the Democratic candidates vying to run against Trump in 2020.

Google searches and tweets involving the Green New Deal have skyrocketed in recent months. Politicians of all backgrounds, from Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey to Al Gore, have weighed in on the issue. Even FOX News has supplemented its daily program with discussions of cow farts in the context of the Green New Deal.

As climate change issues are continuously thrust into the political spotlight, change is bound to happen. Youth activists now have extensive media platforms for their voices to be heard. More and more politicians are forced to take sides, and as a result, a group of dedicated politicians will likely form to make parts of the Green New Deal into a reality.

Even if only small parts of the deal become government policies, these would be important steps. The goals include improving energy-efficiency of existing buildings, reducing emissions from farms, overhauling transportation systems and providing guaranteed jobs and high-quality healthcare for all Americans. Compromises in any of these areas would still benefit Americans significantly.

These ambitious goals reveal the expensive nature of the deal. Providing guaranteed jobs and high quality health care on top of investing in clean energy alternatives is, admittedly, extremely costly for taxpayers and may not have much political capital. Even so, these ideals  are worth pursuing since they have the potential to improve the quality of life in the U.S. for millions.

The Green New Deal is bound to be a political lightning rod. But the ideas that it brings to the table have the potential to help preserve the planet and remake parts of the economy that clearly aren’t working.