“A Message from the Future with AOC”: New Film Imagines World Transformed by the Green New Deal
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2021/04/13
“A Message from the Future with AOC”: New Film Imagines World Transforme...
“A Message from the Future with AOC”: New Film Imagines World Transformed by the Green New Deal - YouTube
“A Message from the Future with AOC”: New Film Imagines World Transformed by the Green New Deal - YouTube
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“A Message from the Future with AOC”: New Film Imagines World Transformed by the Green New Deal
•Apr 19, 2019
What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained - The New York Times
What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained - The New York Times
What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, right, announcing the resolution on Feb. 7.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York Times
By Lisa Friedman
Feb. 21, 2019
Want climate news in your inbox? Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter.
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 avoid planetary destruction, and vilified by opponents as a socialist plot to take away your ice cream. So it’s bound to be somewhat confusing. We’re here to help.
[A Green New Deal is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question.]
What is the Green New Deal?
The Green New Deal is a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling climate change.
Introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, the proposal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.
The resolution is nonbinding, so even if Congress approves it, nothing in the proposal would become law.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
Variations of the proposal have been around for years. Think tanks, the Green Party and even the New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman all have had plans for tackling climate change that they labeled a Green New Deal. But after the 2018 midterm elections, a youth activist group called the Sunrise Movement popularized the name by laying out a strategy and holding a sit-in outside the office of Nancy Pelosi, the soon-to-be-speaker of the House of Representatives, to demand action on climate change. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez joined the protesters, lending her support to their proposal and setting the groundwork for what ultimately became the joint resolution.
Will there be a vote on it?
Yes.
Republicans have cast the Green New Deal as a socialist takeover and say it is evidence that Democrats are far from the mainstream on energy issues. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, plans to bring the plan to the floor as early as next week. Democrats say that the vote would be a stunt because Republican Senate leaders do not want to have a sincere debate about climate change.
What problem is the Green New Deal addressing?
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ImageOil refineries near Norco, La. The Green New Deal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels.Credit...Bryan Tarnowski for The New York Times
The goal of the Green New Deal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change while also trying to fix societal problems like economic inequality and racial injustice.
[You can get updates on the Green New Deal, and all our climate coverage, in our weekly climate newsletter. Subscribe today for free.]
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
The resolution uses as its guide two major reports issued last year by the United Nations and by federal scientists who warned that if global temperatures continue to rise, the world is headed for more intense heat waves, wildfires and droughts. The research shows that the United States economy could lose billions of dollars by the end of the century because of climate change. Currently, carbon emissions are rising, by 3.4 percent last year in the United States and by 2.7 percent globally, according to early estimates.
CLIMATE FWD: A new administration, an ongoing climate emergency — and a ton of news. Our newsletter will help you stay on top of it.Sign Up
Supporters of the Green New Deal also believe that change can’t just be a technological feat, and say it must also tackle poverty, income inequality and racial discrimination.
READ MORE REPORTING ON THE GREEN NEW DEAL
![]()
A Green New Deal Is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question.
Feb. 21, 2019
![]()
Liberal Democrats Formally Call for a ‘Green New Deal,’ Giving Substance to a Rallying Cry
Feb. 7, 2019
What are its main provisions?
You can read it for yourself here, but here are the essential elements: It says the entire world needs to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 — meaning as much carbon would have to be absorbed as released into the atmosphere — and the United States must take a “leading role” in achieving that.
The Green New Deal calls on the federal government to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create high-paying jobs, ensure that clean air, clean water and healthy food are basic human rights, and end all forms of oppression.
Most Read Climate and Environment Stories
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To achieve those goals, the plan calls for the launch of a “10-year mobilization” to reduce carbon emissions in the United States. It envisions sourcing 100 percent of the country’s electricity from renewable and zero-emissions power, digitizing the nation’s power grid, upgrading every building in the country to be more energy-efficient, and overhauling the nation’s transportation system by investing in electric vehicles and high-speed rail.
To address social justice, the resolution says it is the duty of the government to provide job training and new economic development, particularly to communities that currently rely on jobs in fossil fuel industries.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
What doesn’t it say?
Image
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has said the deal would force Americans to have to “ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears.”Credit...Tom Brenner/The New York Times
President Trump has claimed the Green New Deal will take away your “airplane rights.” Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, told Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio host, that the proposal would confiscate cars and require Americans to “ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears.” And Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming and chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, warned that ice cream, cheeseburgers and milkshakes would be a thing of the past because under the Green New Deal, “livestock will be banned.”
The resolution doesn’t do any of those things.
To be sure, there is some confusion about what the Green New Deal does and doesn’t say. That’s partially the fault of its sponsors, who botched the resolution’s initial rollout.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s office initially sent to reporters, but later disavowed, a fact sheet that included some controversial ideas, like guaranteeing economic security including to those “unwilling to work.”
The resolution does call on the federal government to make investments in policies and projects that would eventually change the way we design buildings, travel and eat. For example: cows. To reduce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that cows and other livestock emit, the resolution proposes “working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible.”
The resolution itself also steers clear of endorsing or rejecting specific technologies or sources of energy, something that Mr. Markey said was done purposefully to encourage broader support for the plan.
What’s with the name?
The Green New Deal takes its name and inspiration from the major government makeover, known as the New Deal, launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help the United States recover from the Great Depression.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
That series of public-works programs and financial reforms included the Civilian Conservation Corps (which put people to work in manual labor jobs like planting trees and constructing park trails) and the creation of the Public Works Administration to work on the construction of bridges, dams, schools and more.
Like the original New Deal, the Green New Deal is not a single project or piece of legislation.
What are the costs?
That’s not clear yet.
President Trump claimed it would cost $100 trillion. Supporters of the Green New Deal say climate change could be equally costly to the American economy. For now it’s impossible to pin down dollar figures on the plan.
Some examples of why:
One conservative think tank has pegged the cost to the federal government of providing Medicare-to-all at $32 trillion over 10 years, but supporters claimed it would actually save taxpayers $2 trillion over 10 years.
Converting the country to 100 percent clean power? In Vermont alone, which has a goal of achieving 90 percent renewable energy by midcentury, the cost is estimated at $33 billion. Yet the state is seeing job growth in clean energy sectors and expects the transition will spur cost savings for consumers.
Modernizing the electrical grid across the United States could cost as much as $476 billion, yet reap $2 trillion in benefits, according to a 2011 study issued by the Electric Power Research Institute.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has acknowledged that the Green New Deal is going to be expensive, but contends the plan will pay for itself through economic growth.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
Do critics offer alternative proposals?
Some Republicans have called for a technology-oriented solution to climate change, but so far no critic has come out with an alternative that matches the scale or scope of the Green New Deal.
How will the Green New Deal shape the debate?
There is going to be a lot more political jockeying around the Green New Deal in coming weeks and months. Republicans have already launched video ads trying to tie Democrats to the proposal, which they have described as “radical.”
And Mr. McConnell’s vote is directly aimed at making life uncomfortable for Democratic presidential contenders like Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris. Those senators have all co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution but in some cases have avoided specifics. Ms. Klobuchar, for example, told CNN she saw the Green New Deal as an “aspiration” and “something that we need to move toward.”
At the same time, all of the attention on the Green New Deal has put new pressure on Republican critics to come up with their own plan for cutting greenhouse gases.
It is likely that the Green New Deal will remain a lightning rod throughout the 2020 presidential campaign.
For more news on climate and the environment, follow @NYTClimate on Twitter.
Lisa Friedman reports on federal climate and environmental policy from Washington. She has broken multiple stories about the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal climate change regulations and limit the use of science in policymaking. @LFFriedman
More in Science
What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, right, announcing the resolution on Feb. 7.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York TimesBy Lisa Friedman
Feb. 21, 2019
Want climate news in your inbox? Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter.
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 avoid planetary destruction, and vilified by opponents as a socialist plot to take away your ice cream. So it’s bound to be somewhat confusing. We’re here to help.
[A Green New Deal is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question.]
What is the Green New Deal?
The Green New Deal is a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling climate change.
Introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, the proposal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels and curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. It also aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.
The resolution is nonbinding, so even if Congress approves it, nothing in the proposal would become law.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
Variations of the proposal have been around for years. Think tanks, the Green Party and even the New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman all have had plans for tackling climate change that they labeled a Green New Deal. But after the 2018 midterm elections, a youth activist group called the Sunrise Movement popularized the name by laying out a strategy and holding a sit-in outside the office of Nancy Pelosi, the soon-to-be-speaker of the House of Representatives, to demand action on climate change. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez joined the protesters, lending her support to their proposal and setting the groundwork for what ultimately became the joint resolution.
Will there be a vote on it?
Yes.
Republicans have cast the Green New Deal as a socialist takeover and say it is evidence that Democrats are far from the mainstream on energy issues. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, plans to bring the plan to the floor as early as next week. Democrats say that the vote would be a stunt because Republican Senate leaders do not want to have a sincere debate about climate change.
What problem is the Green New Deal addressing?
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Image
Oil refineries near Norco, La. The Green New Deal calls on the federal government to wean the United States from fossil fuels.Credit...Bryan Tarnowski for The New York TimesThe goal of the Green New Deal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change while also trying to fix societal problems like economic inequality and racial injustice.
[You can get updates on the Green New Deal, and all our climate coverage, in our weekly climate newsletter. Subscribe today for free.]
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
The resolution uses as its guide two major reports issued last year by the United Nations and by federal scientists who warned that if global temperatures continue to rise, the world is headed for more intense heat waves, wildfires and droughts. The research shows that the United States economy could lose billions of dollars by the end of the century because of climate change. Currently, carbon emissions are rising, by 3.4 percent last year in the United States and by 2.7 percent globally, according to early estimates.
CLIMATE FWD: A new administration, an ongoing climate emergency — and a ton of news. Our newsletter will help you stay on top of it.Sign Up
Supporters of the Green New Deal also believe that change can’t just be a technological feat, and say it must also tackle poverty, income inequality and racial discrimination.
READ MORE REPORTING ON THE GREEN NEW DEAL
A Green New Deal Is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question.
Feb. 21, 2019
Liberal Democrats Formally Call for a ‘Green New Deal,’ Giving Substance to a Rallying Cry
Feb. 7, 2019
What are its main provisions?
You can read it for yourself here, but here are the essential elements: It says the entire world needs to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 — meaning as much carbon would have to be absorbed as released into the atmosphere — and the United States must take a “leading role” in achieving that.
The Green New Deal calls on the federal government to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create high-paying jobs, ensure that clean air, clean water and healthy food are basic human rights, and end all forms of oppression.
Most Read Climate and Environment Stories
How Debt and Climate Change Pose ‘Systemic Risk’ to World Economy
John Topping, 77, Dies; Early Advocate for Climate Action
What’s Good for the Ocean May Also Be Good for Business
Should We Block the Sun? Scientists Say the Time Has Come to Study It.
Tiny Town, Big Decision: What Are We Willing to Pay to Fight the Rising Sea?
To achieve those goals, the plan calls for the launch of a “10-year mobilization” to reduce carbon emissions in the United States. It envisions sourcing 100 percent of the country’s electricity from renewable and zero-emissions power, digitizing the nation’s power grid, upgrading every building in the country to be more energy-efficient, and overhauling the nation’s transportation system by investing in electric vehicles and high-speed rail.
To address social justice, the resolution says it is the duty of the government to provide job training and new economic development, particularly to communities that currently rely on jobs in fossil fuel industries.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
What doesn’t it say?
Image
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has said the deal would force Americans to have to “ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears.”Credit...Tom Brenner/The New York TimesPresident Trump has claimed the Green New Deal will take away your “airplane rights.” Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, told Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio host, that the proposal would confiscate cars and require Americans to “ride around on high-speed light rail, supposedly powered by unicorn tears.” And Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming and chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, warned that ice cream, cheeseburgers and milkshakes would be a thing of the past because under the Green New Deal, “livestock will be banned.”
The resolution doesn’t do any of those things.
To be sure, there is some confusion about what the Green New Deal does and doesn’t say. That’s partially the fault of its sponsors, who botched the resolution’s initial rollout.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s office initially sent to reporters, but later disavowed, a fact sheet that included some controversial ideas, like guaranteeing economic security including to those “unwilling to work.”
The resolution does call on the federal government to make investments in policies and projects that would eventually change the way we design buildings, travel and eat. For example: cows. To reduce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that cows and other livestock emit, the resolution proposes “working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible.”
The resolution itself also steers clear of endorsing or rejecting specific technologies or sources of energy, something that Mr. Markey said was done purposefully to encourage broader support for the plan.
What’s with the name?
The Green New Deal takes its name and inspiration from the major government makeover, known as the New Deal, launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help the United States recover from the Great Depression.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
That series of public-works programs and financial reforms included the Civilian Conservation Corps (which put people to work in manual labor jobs like planting trees and constructing park trails) and the creation of the Public Works Administration to work on the construction of bridges, dams, schools and more.
Like the original New Deal, the Green New Deal is not a single project or piece of legislation.
What are the costs?
That’s not clear yet.
President Trump claimed it would cost $100 trillion. Supporters of the Green New Deal say climate change could be equally costly to the American economy. For now it’s impossible to pin down dollar figures on the plan.
Some examples of why:
One conservative think tank has pegged the cost to the federal government of providing Medicare-to-all at $32 trillion over 10 years, but supporters claimed it would actually save taxpayers $2 trillion over 10 years.
Converting the country to 100 percent clean power? In Vermont alone, which has a goal of achieving 90 percent renewable energy by midcentury, the cost is estimated at $33 billion. Yet the state is seeing job growth in clean energy sectors and expects the transition will spur cost savings for consumers.
Modernizing the electrical grid across the United States could cost as much as $476 billion, yet reap $2 trillion in benefits, according to a 2011 study issued by the Electric Power Research Institute.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has acknowledged that the Green New Deal is going to be expensive, but contends the plan will pay for itself through economic growth.
ADVERTISEMENTContinue reading the main story
Do critics offer alternative proposals?
Some Republicans have called for a technology-oriented solution to climate change, but so far no critic has come out with an alternative that matches the scale or scope of the Green New Deal.
How will the Green New Deal shape the debate?
There is going to be a lot more political jockeying around the Green New Deal in coming weeks and months. Republicans have already launched video ads trying to tie Democrats to the proposal, which they have described as “radical.”
And Mr. McConnell’s vote is directly aimed at making life uncomfortable for Democratic presidential contenders like Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris. Those senators have all co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution but in some cases have avoided specifics. Ms. Klobuchar, for example, told CNN she saw the Green New Deal as an “aspiration” and “something that we need to move toward.”
At the same time, all of the attention on the Green New Deal has put new pressure on Republican critics to come up with their own plan for cutting greenhouse gases.
It is likely that the Green New Deal will remain a lightning rod throughout the 2020 presidential campaign.
For more news on climate and the environment, follow @NYTClimate on Twitter.
Lisa Friedman reports on federal climate and environmental policy from Washington. She has broken multiple stories about the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal climate change regulations and limit the use of science in policymaking. @LFFriedman
More in Science
2021/04/12
“Tell That to the Families in Flint”: AOC Demolishes GOP Claim That Green New Deal Is “Elitist” | Democracy Now!
“Tell That to the Families in Flint”: AOC Demolishes GOP Claim That Green New Deal Is “Elitist” | Democracy Now!
“Tell That to the Families in Flint”: AOC Demolishes GOP Claim That Green New Deal Is “Elitist”
STORYMARCH 28, 2019
Watch Full Show
This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today.DONATE
TOPICS
Climate Crisis
On Tuesday, Congressmember Sean Duffy of Wisconsin suggested the Green New Deal only served the wealthy. New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shot back with a passionate defense of the Green New Deal. We feature her full speech.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, on Tuesday, Republican Representative Sean Duffy of Wisconsin suggested the Green New Deal only served the wealthy.
REP. SEAN DUFFY: [I think we should not] focus on the rich, wealthy elites, who will look at this and go, “I love it, because I’ve—I’ve got big money in the bank. Everyone should do this. We should all sign on to it.” But if you’re a poor family just trying to make ends meet, it’s a horrible idea.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York shot back with a passionate defense of the Green New Deal.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: When we talk about the concern of the environment as an elitist concern, one year ago I was waitressing in a taco shop in Downtown Manhattan. I just got health insurance for the first time a month ago. This is not an elitist issue; this is a quality-of-life issue. You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist? Tell that to the kids in the South Bronx, which are suffering from the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country. Tell that to the families in Flint, whose kids have—their blood is ascending in lead levels. Their brains are damaged for the rest of their lives. Call them elitist. You’re telling them that those kids are trying to get on a plane to Davos? People are dying. They are dying.
And the response across the other side of the aisle is to introduce an amendment five minutes before a hearing in a markup? This is serious. This should not be a partisan issue. This is about our constituents and all of our lives. Iowa, Nebraska, broad swaths of the Midwest are drowning right now, underwater. Farms, towns that will never be recovered and never come back. And we’re here, and people are more concerned about helping oil companies than helping their own families? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. This is about our lives. This is about American lives. And it should not be partisan. Science should not be partisan. We are facing a national crisis. And if we do not ascend to that crisis, if we do not ascend to the levels in which we were threatened at the Great Depression, when we were threatened in World War II, if we do not ascend to those levels, if we tell the American public that we are more willing to invest and bail out big banks than we are willing to invest in our farmers and our urban families, then I don’t know what we’re here doing. I don’t know what we’re here doing. …
We talk about cost. We’re going to pay for this whether we pass a Green New Deal or not, because as towns and cities go underwater, as wildfires ravage our communities, we are going to pay. And we’re either going to decide if we’re going to pay to react or if we’re going to pay to be proactive. And what we know is that prevention—you know, when you spend less money on prevention, you can prevent a lot of that damage from happening in the first place. So it’s not a question of whether we’re going to spend the money, because—I’m very sad to say that the government knew that climate change was real, starting as far back as 1989, when NASA was reporting this. And the private sector knew way back in the 1970s. So, we had until around the time I was born to address this issue. I wish it didn’t have to cost so much. But I’m going to turn 30 this year, and for the entire 30 years of my lifetime, we did not make substantial investments to prepare our entire country for what we knew was coming. So now it’s coming all up at the end. It’s like when we live our whole lives and we don’t eat healthily and we don’t move and we pursue unhealthy activities, and then at the end of our lives our healthcare costs are very high. We have the choice to lower the cost now, because, I can tell you, the cost of pursuing a Green New Deal will be far less than the cost of not passing it.
And with respect to our brothers and sisters and neighbors that are in agriculture, bring them to the table. Let’s hold hearings. Let’s add provisions. Let’s amend the legislation to accommodate for the just transition and for the encouragement of those industries to grow. And I would also encourage, to my colleague on the other side of the aisle that thinks we’re trying to ban cows, to actually read the resolution and understand that there’s nothing to that effect in the legislation, and not only that, but we’re trying to invest in these communities and our agricultural workers, so that they can enjoy prosperity into the next century.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Her speech in the House committee hearing has been watched at least 13 million times. We also want to thank Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the lead policy writers for the Green New Deal, policy director for the nonprofit New Consensus.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we look at the hearings that are taking place on Boeing, on the interior secretary, as well as what happened with Monsanto, massive settlement, a massive court case against it. Stay with us.
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.
Next story from this daily show
“People Are Going to Die”: The Cost of Industry Deregulation by Lobbyists Under Trump
“Tell That to the Families in Flint”: AOC Demolishes GOP Claim That Green New Deal Is “Elitist”
STORYMARCH 28, 2019
Watch Full ShowThis is viewer supported news. Please do your part today.DONATE
TOPICS
Climate Crisis
On Tuesday, Congressmember Sean Duffy of Wisconsin suggested the Green New Deal only served the wealthy. New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shot back with a passionate defense of the Green New Deal. We feature her full speech.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, on Tuesday, Republican Representative Sean Duffy of Wisconsin suggested the Green New Deal only served the wealthy.
REP. SEAN DUFFY: [I think we should not] focus on the rich, wealthy elites, who will look at this and go, “I love it, because I’ve—I’ve got big money in the bank. Everyone should do this. We should all sign on to it.” But if you’re a poor family just trying to make ends meet, it’s a horrible idea.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York shot back with a passionate defense of the Green New Deal.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: When we talk about the concern of the environment as an elitist concern, one year ago I was waitressing in a taco shop in Downtown Manhattan. I just got health insurance for the first time a month ago. This is not an elitist issue; this is a quality-of-life issue. You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist? Tell that to the kids in the South Bronx, which are suffering from the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country. Tell that to the families in Flint, whose kids have—their blood is ascending in lead levels. Their brains are damaged for the rest of their lives. Call them elitist. You’re telling them that those kids are trying to get on a plane to Davos? People are dying. They are dying.
And the response across the other side of the aisle is to introduce an amendment five minutes before a hearing in a markup? This is serious. This should not be a partisan issue. This is about our constituents and all of our lives. Iowa, Nebraska, broad swaths of the Midwest are drowning right now, underwater. Farms, towns that will never be recovered and never come back. And we’re here, and people are more concerned about helping oil companies than helping their own families? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. This is about our lives. This is about American lives. And it should not be partisan. Science should not be partisan. We are facing a national crisis. And if we do not ascend to that crisis, if we do not ascend to the levels in which we were threatened at the Great Depression, when we were threatened in World War II, if we do not ascend to those levels, if we tell the American public that we are more willing to invest and bail out big banks than we are willing to invest in our farmers and our urban families, then I don’t know what we’re here doing. I don’t know what we’re here doing. …
We talk about cost. We’re going to pay for this whether we pass a Green New Deal or not, because as towns and cities go underwater, as wildfires ravage our communities, we are going to pay. And we’re either going to decide if we’re going to pay to react or if we’re going to pay to be proactive. And what we know is that prevention—you know, when you spend less money on prevention, you can prevent a lot of that damage from happening in the first place. So it’s not a question of whether we’re going to spend the money, because—I’m very sad to say that the government knew that climate change was real, starting as far back as 1989, when NASA was reporting this. And the private sector knew way back in the 1970s. So, we had until around the time I was born to address this issue. I wish it didn’t have to cost so much. But I’m going to turn 30 this year, and for the entire 30 years of my lifetime, we did not make substantial investments to prepare our entire country for what we knew was coming. So now it’s coming all up at the end. It’s like when we live our whole lives and we don’t eat healthily and we don’t move and we pursue unhealthy activities, and then at the end of our lives our healthcare costs are very high. We have the choice to lower the cost now, because, I can tell you, the cost of pursuing a Green New Deal will be far less than the cost of not passing it.
And with respect to our brothers and sisters and neighbors that are in agriculture, bring them to the table. Let’s hold hearings. Let’s add provisions. Let’s amend the legislation to accommodate for the just transition and for the encouragement of those industries to grow. And I would also encourage, to my colleague on the other side of the aisle that thinks we’re trying to ban cows, to actually read the resolution and understand that there’s nothing to that effect in the legislation, and not only that, but we’re trying to invest in these communities and our agricultural workers, so that they can enjoy prosperity into the next century.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Her speech in the House committee hearing has been watched at least 13 million times. We also want to thank Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the lead policy writers for the Green New Deal, policy director for the nonprofit New Consensus.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we look at the hearings that are taking place on Boeing, on the interior secretary, as well as what happened with Monsanto, massive settlement, a massive court case against it. Stay with us.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats unveil Green New Deal plan: full speech
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats unveil Green New Deal plan: full speech
29,637 views•Feb 8, 2019
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News 19 WLTX
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and fellow Democrats introduced a joint resolution which sets a goal to meet all power demand in the U.S. through clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources by 2030. Use of wind and solar power would be dramatically increased under the plan.
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Filiberto Barrera
Filiberto Barrera
2 years ago
She keeps on saying we,But in the end it's our pockets that get emptied and hers get full.
3
jim ewok
jim ewok
2 years ago
this … is … AWESOME!!!
1
Jimmyzb36
Jimmyzb36
2 years ago
I am thankful that this was recorded!
1
Debra Joy
Debra Joy
2 years ago
Nancy Pelosi has been quoted today by YAHOO NEWS on this deal, "Doesn't know what it is". So, look out! That's what she said about Obamacare. "We have to pass it, to see what's in it." Smh
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david eversole
david eversole
2 years ago
Being from Appalachia,I can’t wait for them green new bills,20’s and 50’s👍👍👍
Ewald Radavich
Ewald Radavich
2 years ago
These people have lost their minds. I believe someone is pulling her strings.
Big Chap
Big Chap
2 years ago
Great Scott!!!! This day is the birth of Mr Fusion Marty. Your bananas and empty beer cans will fuel the future
AP
AP
4 months ago
All these people think they are in charge when in reality they’re in for a rude awakening. Praise Jesus!
Danny Hull
Danny Hull
2 years ago
She is awesome! I love her!
11
The Card Whisperer
The Card Whisperer
2 years ago
Cocaine is a heluva drug!
3
Nathan Kretz
Nathan Kretz
2 years ago
Actually ocasio cortex could you find a way to warm up the plantet in northern Illinois ? It’s very very cold . Like 30 below a few times this year , can you fix that ? Get it back to about 50-60 degrees year round? Thanks
George Rady
George Rady
2 years ago
We have the “Art of the Deal” with Trump
And a “Fart of a Deal” from the Democrats... if you wait a few minutes and re-check the website... it’s like it never even happened.
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Azam
Azam
8 months ago
awesome!!
Robert Blake
Robert Blake
2 years ago
I gave it a thumbs up for the entertainment value. Man, this is a new season of Twilight Zone!
72
Rosko311
Rosko311
2 years ago
The largest solar farm in the United States sits on 3200 acres & produces 580 mega watt. NY uses 16,000 Mega Watts per day, it would take a 86,000 acre solar farm to produce enough energy to power NY. Just imagine how many acres of solar farms it would take to power the whole country.
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mario Dozier
mario Dozier
2 years ago
The craziest people in the world come from the Bronx and all of Florida
7
Big Papa
Big Papa
2 years ago
Alexandria: Battle Angel ❤❤❤
3
Manuel Irizarry
Manuel Irizarry
2 years ago
Can u PLEASE share how we going to do it?
1
Brian Jones
Brian Jones
2 years ago
Wow. God bless................
Hanzo1777
Hanzo1777
2 years ago (edited)
No one in the crowd thought to ask her how she plans to implement all of this ? 😑
1
T A
T A
2 years ago
I SWEAR, this feels like I'm watching "Idiocracy" movie! So hilarious, yet scary!
32
Andrea B
Andrea B
2 years ago
Wait, what? For every dollar of tax cuts we lose money? Does she understand how things work? And these dudes behind her, do they know how things work?
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