With guest host Indira Lakshmanan.
Even though the Midwest has been gripped by the icy polar vortex, that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t happening, despite what you may see on Twitter.
In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
A United Nations Report says we have 12 years to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. This could be complicated by the Trump Administration’s plan to leave the Paris Climate Accord.
But one group of lawmakers have a plan they say will address climate change and the economy — it’s called the Green New Deal.
Spearheaded by Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York’s 14th district, and Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts,, the Green New Deal has become a talking point for many members of the party.
So what is it?
From Vox:
…the exact details of the GND remain to be worked out, but the broad thrust is fairly simple. It refers, in the loosest sense, to a massive program of investments in clean-energy jobs and infrastructure, meant to transform not just the energy sector, but the entire economy. It is meant both to decarbonize the economy and to make it fairer and more just.
But the policy is only part of the picture. Just as striking are the politics, which seem to have tapped into an enormous, untapped demand for climate ambition.
Many presidential candidates have said they support the Green New Deal. But so far, they’ve all been Democrats.
What about the conservatives? How is the GOP addressing climate change, when the president regularly questions its existence? And what future does the Green New Deal, or any other environmental legislation have in today’s political climate?
Produced by Danielle Knight.
GUESTS
Amy Harder, Reporter covering energy and climate, Axios; former reporter, The Wall Street Journal; @AmyAHarder
Rep. Ro Khanna, Democratic member of Congress representing California’s 17 district; former deputy assistant Commerce Secretary; author, “Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key to America’s Future”; @RepRoKhanna
Ryan Costello, Managing director, Americans for Carbon Dividends; former Republican member of Congress representing Pennsylvania’s sixth district; @RyanCostello
Rep. Kathy Castor, Democratic member of Congress representing Florida’s 14th district; chair, House Select Committee on Climate Crisis; @USRepKCastor
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
© 2019 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.
Copyright 2019 WAMU 88.5
