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The Green New Deal

February 14, 2019

Since the introduction of legislation, the purpose of which is to mitigate climate change and its effects, is almost literally earthshaking, I feel compelled to write about it. Suffice it to say, that's a tall order, because the authors of the resolution "recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal," have taken into account any and all matters caused by or related to climate change. Those authors are Sen. Ed Markey(D-MA), long-time environmental advocate, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), much-vaunted and newly-arrived member of the House of Representatives.

Let's start at the beginning: if you'd like to read the 14-page resolution, you will find it at
https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=5729033-Green-New-Deal-FINAL . While the innumerable "Whereas's" as well as the outline format can be disconcerting, there's also a lot of real substance to wrap your mind around. For my money, the most significant paragraph of the resolution reads "Whereas, climate change constitutes a direct threat to the national security of the United States - (1) by impacting the economic, environmental, and social stability of countries and communities around the world; and (2) by acting as a threat multiplier ;".

While I would argue that the order of direct threats should be changed to environmental, social, and economic, I suppose that's nitpicking. I think the weather this winter has been sufficiently disastrous that it should convince readers that without climatic stability, social and economic stability are rendered victims by virtue of its absence. With transportation schedules threatened at the local, national, and international levels, it becomes necessary for us to step forward to help one another, especially if the need for transport is a matter of life and death. Stepping forward frequently entails sacrifice. Ongoing sacrifice can become quite tiresome.

When the sacrificing individuals are not present for their families and friends, others must be present who are willing to take on the responsibilities left undone. You can see where I'm headed with this; at some point we run out of volunteers, and responsibilities are shirked, whether purposely or accidentally. Who knows what those responsibilities might be? Giving a presentation, dishing out food to children at school, harvesting crops, filling a prescription, fixing a car. As the weather becomes more and more disruptive, the ease with which we live our lives will be forfeited to change on a massive, ongoing scale.

Good news comes in the form of support for the proposed legislation. Rep. O-C worked with the environmental organization Sunrise Movement in writing the resolution. Their support, along with that of former Vice President Al Gore, the bipartisan Citizens Climate Lobby, The Climate Justice Alliance, and The People's Climate Movement, gets the Green New Deal off to a running start. Thus far, 60 House members and 9 senators have cosponsored the resolution, in addition to presidential candidates Corey Booker, Kirsten Gellibrand, and Elizabeth Warren.



With thanks to npr.org and grist.org.


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