Originally introduced in 2019, the non-binding Green New Deal aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in the United States within a decade and move the economy away from fossil fuels.
US Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, reintroduced their resolution on Tuesday on the “Green New Deal,” a set of aggressive climate goals intended to transform the US economy.
Originally introduced in 2019, the non-binding resolution aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the United States within a decade and move the economy away from fossil fuels.
“For so long our movement towards a sustainable future has been divided with this really misconception that we have to choose between our planet and our economy. And we have decided to unite in sweeping legislation that not only rejects this notion, but creates a plan for 20 million union jobs in the United States of America, ”in multiple industries, Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. press conference.
It was not immediately clear whether the plan would receive a much warmer reception from the administration of President Joe Biden than from the administration of former President Donald Trump, who did not believe that action on climate change was necessary. necessary.
Biden, who is hosting an online climate summit this week and announced in January that the United States will join the 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, vowed to put the country on track to achieve net emissions zero by 2050, a much later deadline than the Green New Deal.
When asked if lawmakers wanted to go beyond what Biden proposed, Markey replied, “Yes. We believe this is the time that compels us to act big, to think big, to have an agenda that matches the scale of the problem we are facing.
Markey and Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the successes achieved since the resolution’s publication, including the announcement by General Motors to sell all of its new cars, SUVs and light trucks with no tailpipes by 2035 and the House of Representatives will vote to allow the construction of more social housing.
The plan received the support of 103 House lawmakers, said Ocasio-Cortez, including first-term MP Cori Bush of Missouri, a staunch supporter.
Republicans and Trump criticized the Green New Deal when it was introduced, saying adopting its goals would force Americans to stop traveling and not be able to eat meat.
“The new green disaster is back,” Republican Senator John Barrasso said in a statement on Monday, ahead of the revival. “Innovation in the open market is the best way to protect our air, water and communities – not government regulation or harsh taxes.
The plan foresees that 100% of the demand for electricity will be met from zero emission energy sources such as wind and solar power, modernization of transport infrastructure, reduction of carbon emissions from the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. , making buildings and houses more energy efficient and improving land conservation.
It also aimed to create an economic safety net for communities affected by climate change and the abandonment of fossil fuel use, including through guarantees of health care, jobs and vocational training.
The plan’s name refers to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s, which aimed to help Americans suffering from the Great Depression with massive government-led infrastructure projects.
In addition, Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who is Caucasian with the Democrats, presented their law on the Green New Deal for public housing on Monday.
The bill would modernize the country’s 950,000 homes to make buildings more energy efficient. The jobs created under the initiative should also meet certain labor standards and allow for the creation of more social housing.
It was not immediately clear how likely the bill was to pass in either house of Congress.