By: Gabrielle Kolencik
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has made quite the impression on her “Green New Deal,” so much so that back in 2019 Congressman Matt Gaetz came up with his own agenda: The Green “Real” Deal.
What is the Green New Deal, and what’s going on with both of these policy proposals?
The Green New Deal, originally proposed in 2018, calls on the federal government to cut fossil fuels and curb greenhouse gas emissions across the US economy. The bill addresses the need to achieve 1) “global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from human sources of 40 to 60 percent from 2010 levels by 2030; and [(2) reach] net-zero global emissions by 2050” in order to avoid unreversible, disastrous effects, such as the destruction of 99% of our coral reefs, $500,000,000,000 in annual economic loss for the United States by 2100, the exposure of deadly heat to more than 35,000,000 people by 2050, and so on. Additionally, the bill calls for social justice. The deal calls for change within 10 years of its passing, and outlines that the federal government must follow several goals and projects, including: “building resiliency against climate change-related disasters,” . . . and “repairing and upgrading the infrastructure in the United States, meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources,” etc.
Republican criticism centers on the belief that the Green New Deal invites “Big Government” solutions, and an overly significant amount of public spending. Gaetz responded to this by proposing his Green Real Deal.
The six-page proposed Green Real Deal was drafted with similar goals, through a conservative lens. Representative Gaetz wrote that the proposal is “a plan to address climate change by harnessing the power of free markets, embracing technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and cutting excessive governmental red tape.” The proposed legislation explains that it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to create a “Green New Deal” to: “Achieve robust, economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions reductions,”. . . “Position the United States as a global leader in clean energy and carbon capture technologies”. . . and “Assure that infrastructure, our communities, and our military are resilient and adapting to climate change.”
Significantly, Gaetz’s proposal sets no targets for future carbon cuts.
So how would these bills work?
The reality is that neither are a specific policy proposal, but rather a general list of goals. Ultimately, these drafts act more of a political talking point rather than legislation that would have immediate, specific consequences–this is particularly the case for Gaetz, considering he has proposed seemingly contradictory legislation in the past, one instance being when he sought to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. Really, Gaetz proposal seems to be a vague “commitment to innovation,” and works to act as some kind of “reasonable” take of Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal, as if hers were some radical fantasy.
In light of the terrifying changes our planet is experiencing at a rapid rate, one thing remains certain: we need a plan to combat climate change, and we need it now.
H.R. 109, 116th Cong. (2019).
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Press Release, Representative Matt Gaetz, Congressman Matt Gaetz Unveils the “Green Real Deal” (April 3, 2019), https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-unveils-green-real-deal.
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