I’m near the end of writing a long explanation piece about the Green New Deal. With any luck I’ll be able to talk about it more this weekend!
But, one thing I just noticed while researching is the Green New Deal is almost exactly the 2016 DNC Platform. (This post from ThinkProgress in February noticed the same thing.)
The urgency for dealing with climate catastrophe is more pronounced in the GND, but that makes sense given the current inaction and the sobering analysis of the latest IPCC special report, released after the committee’s work. But, it’s also worth noting that Bill McKibben was part of the drafting committee. (You can find the drafting committee here.)
The platform addresses creating a green infrastructure, green manufacturing, supporting research in climate mitigation, being inclusive, developing resilient cities, building a clean energy economy, clean water, clean air, cleaning up pollution, universal health care, and more. The GND addresses the same topics.
What doesn’t make sense is the hesitancy of “centrist” democrats to support the GND. In 2016 it was their agenda.