The Government's Role In Fighting Climate Change & A Closer Look At the Green New Deal

Climate change is an increasing topic of interest. On a small-scale, individuals can fight climate change by educating themselves, voting, recycling, eating local foods or growing their own foods, using energy wisely, being conscious of travel practices, and making changes to homes to become more energy efficient. If more people made an effort to do these things, we would be headed in the right direction to continue positive change.

What can the government do on a large-scale to fight climate change? 
You may be hearing a lot about the Green New Deal. But what exactly is the Green New Deal? Some extreme conservatives say that if you support the Green New Deal, you can say goodbye to ice cream, hamburgers, and airplanes. This is not true. Making sense of what the deal is proposing can be difficult, so let's take a look at what it has to offer.

The Green New Deal was introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Edward Markey, and the proposal is ambitious. In addition to promoting positive practices to fight climate change, it also aims to address poverty and inequality. One of the main goals of the project is to get the entire world 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." To work towards this huge goal, the plan calls for a 10-year mobilization meaning the US would need to make extreme changes such as sourcing 100% of electricity from renewable power, digitizing the power grid, upgrading buildings to be more energy efficient, and making changes in transportation such as electric vehicles and high-speed rails. In addition, the deal says the government is responsible for providing job training that focuses on economic development; this is especially important to areas that have relied on the fossil fuel industry. If passed by congress, the deal would be nonbinding meaning nothing stated in the proposal would become a law. Their goals are huge, and a big question remains unanswered: Exactly how much is this going to cost? Let's look at an example from the New York Times which states, "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." Change will cost money; there is no way around that concept, but the expected economic growth could be substantial and worth the initial cost to implement change.

In addition to the Green New Deal, let's take a look at a few basic steps the government can take part in to help slow climate change.This article is an easy read, straight forward, and a great resource to begin learning more about what the government can do and what Americans should be demanding. Government actions such as protecting and restoring ecosystems, supporting small farms, promoting green energy, and creating policy for short-lived climate pollutants will put us on a path towards positive change.

I encourage everyone to start taking small steps as individuals; your actions may seem small, but can have a large-scale effect. Do I fully support the Green New Deal? I'm not sure yet, but I do believe the proposal has many good and bold ideas, and talk of this deal encourages me to learn more. I am impressed to see leaders trying to take a stance to slow climate change, protect the environment, and protect our future and generations to come.