The Grass is Greener on The Side That Acknowledges Climate Change
(Disclaimer: La Tonique Media LLC does not represent any political ideology. While we do not espouse any political beliefs, we do seek to provide a balance perspective by incorporating voices from both sides of the political spectrum.)
By Priya Felix
It has been a month since the climate clock in Union Square was unveiled, but the issue of climate change is certainly not a new one. The clock's activation, which counts down the critical amount of time left until the effects of climate change become irreversible, did exactly as intended and served as an unavoidable, physical reminder of the detrimental effects of a failure to combat global warming. Naturally, the installation created mass hysteria as it became clear that the deadline for saving Earth was approaching with full speed and something had to be done. The reality is that climate change is a term that has been thrown around for years but has never really been taken seriously by many, as it has not yet directly impacted most of our lives. The problem with this logic is that once climate change directly affects your life, it will be too late to reverse the effects. This is not propaganda to scare the public but rather a call to action–one that many young activists have already committed to advancing and are using to make rapid but effective change.
At the forefront of the battle against climate change is the Sunrise movement, a group of young activists who are most famously known for their 2018 occupation of then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office. One hundred and fifty youth activists and then Representative-elect Alexandria Cortez (D-N.Y.) came together in the sit-in to demand a more aggressive approach to combating climate change. At the top of the movement's agenda was a select committee for a Green New Deal that would assume a far more robust and effective nature than many of its predecessors such as the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. At the age of 28, Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC as she is better known) beat out ten-time incumbent Joseph Crowley in the 2018 primary and has since spearheaded various public initiatives relating to tuition-free public college, immigration, public healthcare, and most prominently, The Green New Deal (GND). The moniker of the proposal harkens back to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, and rightfully so as the resolution, if acted out as intended, calls for “new national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II and the New Deal.” Brought to the floor in 2019 by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts (D-M.A.), the Green New Deal is a nonbinding proposal aimed at transitioning to net-zero emissions as a product of simultaneously advancing racial and socio-economic inequality initiatives.
(Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey at a press conference announcing the Green New Deal)
(Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images)
The 14-page resolution proposes a ten-year mobilization plan to shift entirely away from fossil fuels to 100% zero-emission sourced energy and extensive decarbonization of industry and infrastructure across the nation. The movement to 100% renewables is certainly an ideal goal in principle. Still, the practicality of enacting such a drastic change within such a short period is a hot topic of debate. The GND also calls for the implementation of "smart grids," which will create an efficient way to link renewable energy channeling from various locations in the nation across different electric companies. In other words, a grid such as the one proposed would allow electricity produced by renewable means to get sold via the grid to an area where renewable electricity is not being produced in as high a volume. Not only do the smart grids provide a more concrete path to 100% renewable energy, but they also open up the energy market to increased competition and demand for innovation. In the same vein of increasing efficiency is the provision to upgrade all homes and businesses to be more energy-efficient; similarly, this is perfect in theory but slightly more concerning when analyzed from an economic point of view. A digitized power grid's realistic cost would sum up to about $400 billion, and the proposed upgrades would accrue an additional $2.5 trillion. Of course, these numbers do not even consider many of the other provisions stated in the GND or the cost of maintenance but raise the very question of economic feasibility.
The economic point of view brings us to the next focal point of The Green New Deal: a national job guarantee and economic development in the form of massive job creation–totaling to over 10 million new high paying green jobs. In its entirety, GND is more so a laundry list of potential initiatives as opposed to concrete legislation and, in one breath, covers a plethora of issues such as labor laws, health care, trade deals, clean air, and water. Where does the Green New Deal Stand as of now? In March 2019, the resolution was struck down in a 0-57 Senate vote that was met with extensive democratic backlash claiming the vote was rushed to the floor without a hearing to change the narrative and rewrite it in the Republican voice. Despite the doctored political chess game in which the GND was shuffled around like a pawn, the resolution proved its resilience and remains alive and kicking in American hearts across the nation. In fact, after it failed to advance, the GND only gained more popularity and has manifested itself on the political agendas of many government members such as Andrew Cuomo, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden.
Regardless of where your political ideology may lie, the issue of climate change is a real one that only grows more prevalent and dangerous the longer that it is ignored. The best thing we can do as a nation right now is to educate ourselves on the dangers of climate change, the potential reforms, and of course, the economic impact of the alternative plans that have been proposed. The beauty of our democracy is that after being informed, we all have the right to support the plan that will save our planet but simultaneously makes economic sense for our families. Contrary to what mainstream media may make it seem like, the road to tackling climate change is not black and white; yes, something must be done, but exactly how reform is enacted is for us, the American public, to decide.
Priya is a political writer for La Tonique. You can follow Priya on Twitter @priya_felix.