By Grace Hayward and Olivia Hayward
“It's not a day — it's a movement.” - Earth Day Network tweeted on April 22nd, 2020; marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day; An annual event recognized globally that promotes environmental awareness and this year, especially, focused on igniting action on climate change. Since its inception in 1970, the purpose and importance of the day has only continued to grow in significance. President Richard Nixon and first lady, Pat Nixon, commemorated the first Earth Day by planting a tree on the White House South Lawn with the goal in mind of combating pollution. This year, the agenda was much more extensive. On April 21st, 2020, Richard Deverell, fervent climate activist and director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, stated, “We are in an age of extinction and at the point where irreversible environmental damage could be wrought… We must also recognize that global challenges require globally coordinated responses.” The Green New Deal serves as an example of a ‘coordinated response’ that is attempting to tackle the threats of climate change; Sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), “The Green New Deal, at its core, is a marriage of two policy goals: getting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero and creating jobs and economic security for all.” Due to the considerably progressive reforms proposed in the deal in conjunction with its cost, estimated to be $6.6 trillion annually, the endeavor has divided United States citizens and politicians.
As the 2020 election draws near, it has become even more evident that the public opinion on the Green New Deal is politically polarized as many Republicans are strongly opposed while Democrats are firmly in favor. In fact, Joe Biden has publicly accepted and embraced the Green New Deal. According to his campaign site, “Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face. It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.” Biden’s plan takes a drastically alternative approach to that of the Trump Administration in that he plans to curtail the Trump tax incentives that he says, “enrich corporations at the expense of American jobs and the environment.” In total, Biden’s proposed climate plan equates to a federal investment of $1.7 trillion over the next ten years. This plan is specifically appealing to the millions of youth who have taken part in climate protests, read speeches, made signs, and chanted the recurring message to world leaders: “Our planet is seriously burning and the adults keep letting us down.” - 14 year old climate justice activist, Alexandria Villaseñor. Youth-led demonstrations began with Greta Thunberg in August of 2018, but have continued into 2019 and 2020. In fact, even with the onset of the coronavirus, strikes have moved online, spearheaded by the “Fridays for Future” movement. Stephen O’Hanlon, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, “an American youth-led political movement coordinated by Sunrise, a 501 political action organization that advocates political action on climate change,” declared, "Any candidate for office who wants to win the youth vote in 2020 should back it [the Green New Deal].”
Opponents of the Green New Deal argue that the endeavor is unrealistic and ‘too big, too fast’. Rather than just one piece of legislation, the Green New Deal is considered a ‘governing vision’ with the end goal of transforming the economy to combat the climate crisis; critics say that it is not practical and too radical. While opposition to the deal is fervent, the growing force of environmentalists and the emerging voices of the youth seem to be rising above.
Comments