Should we sign the Green New Deal?

Joshua Rossi
10/22/20
ENGL2010
You enter a grandiose room, it is painted with the colors of the American flag, the walls adorned
with pictures of government officials. "Please take a seat." Says the well-dressed man sitting in
front of you. You comply. "What do you know about the 'Green New Deal'?" They ask. "Well, I
know that it is a ten-year goal that attempts to reform our economic and social impacts on the
environment as well as to tackle racial and economic inequality, but I’m a bit unclear on the
specifics." You reply. He simply responds with, "Alright, let’s talk about whether we should
adopt it."
The Green New Deal has been a hotly debated topic in the 2020 election, but not much
has been discussed about the details lying within this proposal, leaving many Americans
confused on the topic. Finding the specific details on how policies will be changed or what will
be done to help the environment, this is, in part, because the Green New Deal is not a single
policy, but rather a collection of resolutions, some of which are vague and will be expanded in
the future. One such resolution that is simultaneously vague and understandable looks to resolve
America’s greenhouse gas problem by shifting all of America’s power sources to renewable
energy by 2050, whether that be nuclear power plants, solar panels, wind farms, or water power
from dams. The plan calls for a significant reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, which may
seem easy, but has some financial consequences. The actual cost of the plan is almost as heavily
debated as the plan itself, with numbers varying widely from numbers in the millions of dollars
to $32 trillion across the span of 10 years. While the plan will be expensive, supporters believe
that America will be forced to spend as much if not more on solving climate change based issues
in the future, it is also said that initiating a proposal now could save taxpayers money. So, what
side do I take on this issue?

“Well, I think that it is a step in the right direction, and if we don’t do anything about
climate change now, we may not be able to do anything when or if we decide to do something
about it in the future.” You say, “If we do not meet the deadlines, the money we put into the
project is not lost, because we did something to reduce carbon emissions.”
I believe that the Green New Deal is not a set deadline but rather a resolution or goal to
strive toward. One argument is that the high cost of transitioning America to renewable energy
is one that the US could not afford, and when, according to the Department of Defense, America
has spent over $6.9 trillion in the past ten years on the military budget alone, that is an
understandable position to take, but many supporters of the deal estimate that it would actually
save taxpayers up to $2 Trillion.
“While you make a good point, a large number of working-class Americans are far more
worried about the estimated loss of jobs that could arise from signing this proposal.” He says to
you.

“I have heard that proposals like this have had the opposite effect. Have you read about
the job growth in Vermont?” You reply.
Another concern is that many jobs could be lost amidst the transition to renewable
energy, but in Vermont, an initiative has been put in place to replace 90% of the state’s power
sources with a renewable resource, and the Vermont Public Service Bureau observed job growth
during its ongoing transition. In the Vermont Clean Energy Industry Report of 2017, it is stated
that “The total number of Vermonters that have engaged in the clean energy industry has grown
by 29% since the baseline was collected in 2013. Over 12,000 Vermont workers have full-time
jobs in the clean energy sector, up more than 1,300 employees over 2016 work at least part-time
in the sector.” The New York Clean Energy Report found that the state of New York gained over
7,200 jobs in the clean energy sector in 2018, which amounted to a total of nearly 159,000
workers in the clean energy sector. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs in the clean
energy industry to grow by up to 105% from 2016 to 2026, a rate that would likely be far higher
should we sign the Green New Deal, as the rate of clean energy jobs being introduced throughout
the United States rise in tandem with efforts to transition to clean energy solutions. Most jobs
would not be lost, but rather shifted to or replaced by a “greener” oriented perspective
alternative.
“Yes, I have read that many states have had rather widespread growth in the clean energy
sector, but why should we consider this proposal over other possible alternatives?” He asks. “Are
there any alternatives?”

“The most popular alternative is using ‘innovation’ to push us into a future with lower
carbon emissions. The problem with the innovation philosophy is that we have no way to know
when a new technology could arise, or how much money it could cost, possibly putting us in a
worse place than we were before.” You reply. “We know what our current technologies do and
cost, and if we rework our infrastructure now, we could put plans in place that make adding
newer innovations or even swapping to them entirely in the future as inexpensive and efficient as
possible.”
If America continues to put hardship and expense in the hands of future generations,
nothing will get better. To ensure that our future is prosperous, our present needs to be used to
improve our current condition but waiting for innovation alone is not a surefire way to slow
climate change. Swapping to technologies and putting restrictions on industries and technologies
that pollute and degrade our environment does not prevent humanity’s search for better, more
efficient, and “greener” technology. The Green New Deal leaves room for innovation and if done
right, can put systems in place that allow for further reform of our power infrastructure in the
future to be inexpensive, benefiting humanity and the environment in the long run.
“So, you believe that the Green New Deal has very few unacceptable downsides, and
leaves room for other plans?” He asks. Looking back on the volley of questions and answers that
took place throughout your conversation, you reply with, “Yes, I would even go as far as to say
that the proposal should strive to implement itself as an initiative that other plans could be built
on top of. I believe that any alternative leaves us in a worse place than we will be if we do sign
the Green New Deal, whether that be cost or time, there is an unpredictable trade-off that we
have no way of knowing if it will be more beneficial in the end.” “Do you really think it is best
to be risk-averse?” His question surprises you, but you concoct a reply quickly, “If you would
like to put it that way, I feel that risk-averse is our only reasonable course of action at the
moment.”

Barrasso, John, Dec. 18, 2018, “Cut Carbon Through Innovation, Not Regulation”,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/opinion/climate-carbon-tax-innovation.html

Elka Torpey, April 2018, “Green Growth: Employment projections in environmentally focused
occupations”,

https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2018/data-on-display/green-growth.htm

Friedman, Lisa, Feb. 21, 2019, “What is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained”,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/climate/green-new-deal-questions-answers.html

New York State, 2019, “New York Clean Energy Industry Report”,

https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Publications/New-York-Clean-Energy-Industry-Report

Pierce, R. Erin, August 23, 2012, “New Report Highlights Growth of America’s Clean Energy Job Sector”,

https://www.energy.gov/articles/new-report-highlights-growth-americas-clean-energy-job-sector

U.S. Department of Defense, 2020, “FY 2019 Defense Budget”,

https://dod.defense.gov/News/SpecialReports/Budget2019.aspx

Vermont Public Service Bureau, 2018, “Vermont 2017 Clean Energy Industry Report”,
https://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/dps/files/documents/Renewable_Energy/CEDF/Reports/VCEI
%20Report%202017.pdf

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