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The Green New Deal put forth by Sen. Bernie Sanders, explains, Schlosberg, "explicitly bans fracking, prevents all new pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, bans all fossil fuel exports, and directly challenges this poisoning industry. And it enables a fair and just transition for workers and frontline communities by taxing the accumulated wealth and income of industries that profit off of polluting our planet. No other climate plan does all of these things." (Image: BernieSanders.com)
Confronting the Climate Crisis--Why We Need Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal
We cannot confront the climate emergency—we cannot avoid the worst of rapidly unfolding climate chaos—if we do not stop our headlong rush to expand fossil fuel extraction and burning.
Sep 05, 2019
The climate emergency is the single biggest challenge to our food, water and people on this planet.
Fires are burning in the Arctic and Amazon. In India a city larger than Los Angeles has run out of water. And increasingly intense storms have caused escalating damage across the globe, with Dorian being the most recent example. Things are only getting worse. We desperately need a policy response that is big enough and bold enough to meet the challenge of our generation. Senator Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal is just that response. Its recognition of the reality of the climate crisis, and its scope and ambition dwarf all other proposals. Regardless of the presidential race, it is time for us to all rally around this plan and make it real.
Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency.
Sanders' Green New Deal is truly comprehensive in its approach. It invests $16 trillion over 15 years to transition our energy system--a scale far exceeding even the most ambitious plans of other leading candidates. It mandates a transition to 100% renewable energy in electricity and most transportation by 2030, invests in energy efficiency, takes on big agribusiness and factory farms, includes the WATER Act to rebuild our water infrastructure, and contains strong provisions for a fair and just transition for workers in the fossil fuel industry.
Beyond its breadth, Sanders' Green New Deal is also the climate plan that most directly confronts the fossil fuel industry. While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear we only have 12 years to avoid the worst of climate chaos (and likely we have far less time), rather than moving off fossil fuels, we are currently increasing production. Trump is escalating fracking and drilling on public land. Meanwhile, there are more than 700 fracked gas infrastructure projects recently completed or in the works, including export facilities, power plants, pipelines and petrochemical facilities.
These projects will all cost hundreds of billions (if not trillions) of dollars, and will lock us into dirty fossil fuels for decades to come. Taking into account leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, fracked gas is just as bad or even worse than coal for the climate. It is as if our house is burning down, and while waiting for the fire department to arrive, we are throwing gasoline on the fire. This is insanity.
While many candidates have signed on to a Green New Deal resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, that resolution does not contain provisions that directly address fossil fuels. Sanders' Green New Deal explicitly bans fracking, prevents all new pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, bans all fossil fuel exports, and directly challenges this poisoning industry. And it enables a fair and just transition for workers and frontline communities by taxing the accumulated wealth and income of industries that profit off of polluting our planet. No other climate plan does all of these things. It is time for all the candidates to step up and support this transformative vision.
At the CNN climate town hall, it was heartening to see Senator Kamala Harris voice her support for a ban on fracking for the first time. Senator Elizabeth Warren has told the media of her support for a fracking ban as well. However, while the climate plans they released contain references to stopping infrastructure and exports, they are less explicit than Sanders has been and their written plans do not mention a full fracking ban. Both Warren and Harris should confirm their support for a national ban on all fracking by including it in their climate plans and regularly advocating for it on the campaign trail and in the Senate.
We cannot confront the climate emergency--we cannot avoid the worst of rapidly unfolding climate chaos--if we do not stop our headlong rush to expand fossil fuel extraction and burning. This expansion must be immediately halted and rolled back at the same time that we are building out a truly clean, renewable energy future.
Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency. Regardless of which candidate one supports, we need to rally around this plan and build the movement and create the political pressure required to make it a reality.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Mark Schlosberg
Mark Schlosberg is the Organizing Co-Director for Food & Water Action. Follow him on Twitter: @mschlos
The climate emergency is the single biggest challenge to our food, water and people on this planet.
Fires are burning in the Arctic and Amazon. In India a city larger than Los Angeles has run out of water. And increasingly intense storms have caused escalating damage across the globe, with Dorian being the most recent example. Things are only getting worse. We desperately need a policy response that is big enough and bold enough to meet the challenge of our generation. Senator Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal is just that response. Its recognition of the reality of the climate crisis, and its scope and ambition dwarf all other proposals. Regardless of the presidential race, it is time for us to all rally around this plan and make it real.
Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency.
Sanders' Green New Deal is truly comprehensive in its approach. It invests $16 trillion over 15 years to transition our energy system--a scale far exceeding even the most ambitious plans of other leading candidates. It mandates a transition to 100% renewable energy in electricity and most transportation by 2030, invests in energy efficiency, takes on big agribusiness and factory farms, includes the WATER Act to rebuild our water infrastructure, and contains strong provisions for a fair and just transition for workers in the fossil fuel industry.
Beyond its breadth, Sanders' Green New Deal is also the climate plan that most directly confronts the fossil fuel industry. While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear we only have 12 years to avoid the worst of climate chaos (and likely we have far less time), rather than moving off fossil fuels, we are currently increasing production. Trump is escalating fracking and drilling on public land. Meanwhile, there are more than 700 fracked gas infrastructure projects recently completed or in the works, including export facilities, power plants, pipelines and petrochemical facilities.
These projects will all cost hundreds of billions (if not trillions) of dollars, and will lock us into dirty fossil fuels for decades to come. Taking into account leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, fracked gas is just as bad or even worse than coal for the climate. It is as if our house is burning down, and while waiting for the fire department to arrive, we are throwing gasoline on the fire. This is insanity.
While many candidates have signed on to a Green New Deal resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, that resolution does not contain provisions that directly address fossil fuels. Sanders' Green New Deal explicitly bans fracking, prevents all new pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, bans all fossil fuel exports, and directly challenges this poisoning industry. And it enables a fair and just transition for workers and frontline communities by taxing the accumulated wealth and income of industries that profit off of polluting our planet. No other climate plan does all of these things. It is time for all the candidates to step up and support this transformative vision.
At the CNN climate town hall, it was heartening to see Senator Kamala Harris voice her support for a ban on fracking for the first time. Senator Elizabeth Warren has told the media of her support for a fracking ban as well. However, while the climate plans they released contain references to stopping infrastructure and exports, they are less explicit than Sanders has been and their written plans do not mention a full fracking ban. Both Warren and Harris should confirm their support for a national ban on all fracking by including it in their climate plans and regularly advocating for it on the campaign trail and in the Senate.
We cannot confront the climate emergency--we cannot avoid the worst of rapidly unfolding climate chaos--if we do not stop our headlong rush to expand fossil fuel extraction and burning. This expansion must be immediately halted and rolled back at the same time that we are building out a truly clean, renewable energy future.
Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency. Regardless of which candidate one supports, we need to rally around this plan and build the movement and create the political pressure required to make it a reality.
Mark Schlosberg
Mark Schlosberg is the Organizing Co-Director for Food & Water Action. Follow him on Twitter: @mschlos
The climate emergency is the single biggest challenge to our food, water and people on this planet.
Fires are burning in the Arctic and Amazon. In India a city larger than Los Angeles has run out of water. And increasingly intense storms have caused escalating damage across the globe, with Dorian being the most recent example. Things are only getting worse. We desperately need a policy response that is big enough and bold enough to meet the challenge of our generation. Senator Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal is just that response. Its recognition of the reality of the climate crisis, and its scope and ambition dwarf all other proposals. Regardless of the presidential race, it is time for us to all rally around this plan and make it real.
Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency.
Sanders' Green New Deal is truly comprehensive in its approach. It invests $16 trillion over 15 years to transition our energy system--a scale far exceeding even the most ambitious plans of other leading candidates. It mandates a transition to 100% renewable energy in electricity and most transportation by 2030, invests in energy efficiency, takes on big agribusiness and factory farms, includes the WATER Act to rebuild our water infrastructure, and contains strong provisions for a fair and just transition for workers in the fossil fuel industry.
Beyond its breadth, Sanders' Green New Deal is also the climate plan that most directly confronts the fossil fuel industry. While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear we only have 12 years to avoid the worst of climate chaos (and likely we have far less time), rather than moving off fossil fuels, we are currently increasing production. Trump is escalating fracking and drilling on public land. Meanwhile, there are more than 700 fracked gas infrastructure projects recently completed or in the works, including export facilities, power plants, pipelines and petrochemical facilities.
These projects will all cost hundreds of billions (if not trillions) of dollars, and will lock us into dirty fossil fuels for decades to come. Taking into account leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, fracked gas is just as bad or even worse than coal for the climate. It is as if our house is burning down, and while waiting for the fire department to arrive, we are throwing gasoline on the fire. This is insanity.
While many candidates have signed on to a Green New Deal resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, that resolution does not contain provisions that directly address fossil fuels. Sanders' Green New Deal explicitly bans fracking, prevents all new pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, bans all fossil fuel exports, and directly challenges this poisoning industry. And it enables a fair and just transition for workers and frontline communities by taxing the accumulated wealth and income of industries that profit off of polluting our planet. No other climate plan does all of these things. It is time for all the candidates to step up and support this transformative vision.
At the CNN climate town hall, it was heartening to see Senator Kamala Harris voice her support for a ban on fracking for the first time. Senator Elizabeth Warren has told the media of her support for a fracking ban as well. However, while the climate plans they released contain references to stopping infrastructure and exports, they are less explicit than Sanders has been and their written plans do not mention a full fracking ban. Both Warren and Harris should confirm their support for a national ban on all fracking by including it in their climate plans and regularly advocating for it on the campaign trail and in the Senate.
We cannot confront the climate emergency--we cannot avoid the worst of rapidly unfolding climate chaos--if we do not stop our headlong rush to expand fossil fuel extraction and burning. This expansion must be immediately halted and rolled back at the same time that we are building out a truly clean, renewable energy future.
Sanders' Green New Deal provides a roadmap of what we as a society need to do to confront the climate emergency. Regardless of which candidate one supports, we need to rally around this plan and build the movement and create the political pressure required to make it a reality.
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