Maeve Healy

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY14) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced The Green New Deal in early 2019. The idea behind it is to completely revitalize the American economy by shifting from fossil fuels and nonrenewable resources to clean, renewable sources of energy. The initiative would take place over a period of ten years to combat a raise in temperature that experts estimate could be up to 1.8°F by 2050.

Some of the new policies that would come into play are afforestation initiatives, investment in renewable power resources such as hydroelectric power, solar power, and wind power, upgrades to energy efficiency, cleaning of toxic waste, and putting emphasis on sustainable farming in living. If all of these goals are met, it’s possible that the continued rise in temperature could be curbed or stopped all together. 

A 1.8°F raise in temperature would be a catastrophe for humans and the world at large. Heat waves will occur more often, food shortages will be more prevalent, and the ocean levels will undoubtedly rise, being fed by melting glaciers. People will begin dying at much higher rates. It will be a fiasco. 

The Green New Deal is technologically possible, but whether it would be taken seriously by the politicians of Washington is not guaranteed. For one, the idea that the project could be completed in ten years isn’t plausible, according to many experts. Professor Seth Blumsack says that completing the task “strikes [him] as a stretch,” especially considering how slowly the government changes policies over time. The question of whether the Green New Deal is even plausible in today’s political climate is a sad question to ask. It is the only true solution to save both humanity and the rest of the species that live in this world, but politicians refuse to pass anything that would save the world’s life from dying. 

Democrats and Republicans lawmakers alike do not care about the environment: they care about staying in power. It’s the main reason that President Biden stopped condemning fracking when talking about environmental policy in the 2020 presidential debates. It is all a wild game that every power-hungry politician in America plays.

There is not much hope for the future in terms of improving the United States’ carbon footprint, unless civic leaders and activists are able to push politicians to save humans and animals from dying, the cycle will continue even as many die.