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Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal

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Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal
Great Seal of the United States
Sponsored byHouse: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–NY)
Senate: Ed Markey (D–MA)
Number of co-sponsorsHouse: 96
Senate: 12
Legislative history

Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal (H. Res. 332), sometimes just referred to as the Green New Deal, is a major resolution introduced in the 117th Congress.[1] The Resolution calls for the creation of a Green New Deal which would create high paying jobs and prevent the Earth from exceeding 1.5°C of warming by investing in renewable energy and putting the United States on track for net-zero emissions.[2]

The resolution itself is non-binding, meaning that it would only express a general sense of Congress, and would not actually implement any of the Green New Deal policies it proposes. Any such policies would have to be passed on their own in a separate bill.[3]

Background

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Main article: Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C


Warming of 2 °C was generally considered (by some) to be an acceptable carbon budget limit[4][5] until a report in 2018 by the IPCC stated that limiting warming to 1.5 °C would prevent far more damage from a climate catastrophe than limiting emissions to 2 °C.[6] The report also found that global emissions would have to be cut in half by 2030 and the world would have to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in order to meet the 1.5 °C goal.[7][8]

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey at a press conference for the resolution

Provisions

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Acknowledging Climate Change and Inequality

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The first section of the resolution acknowledges that climate change is a threat, and that 2 °C of warming should be avoided, or else it will cause significant damage to the environment and infrastructure. It also states that emissions must be cut at the rate described by the IPCC in order to avoid this warming. It also says that because the United States emits a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gasses, that it must take a "leading role" in reducing emissions, and that climate change is a threat to national security.[9]

The resolution acknowledges certain wealth inequality problems in the United States: wage stagnation, reduction of bargaining power through unions, and low socioeconomic mobility, among other things. It states that climate change has exacerbated injustices, and that it will mostly effect minorities and people who are low-income.[9]

Green New Deal

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The resolution calls for the creation of a Green New Deal with the following goals:[9]

  1. Reducing emissions to stay under 1.5 °C of warming.
  2. Create millions of high-wage union jobs and ensuring economic security in general.
  3. Investments in infrastructure and industry.
  4. Ensuring clean water, clean air, climate resilience, healthy food, the ability to access nature, a sustainable environment.
  5. Promoting justice and promoting equality.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Mobilization effort

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The resolution calls for the achievement of these goals through a nation-wide mobilization effort; which it suggests several broad policy objectives, such as:[9]

  1. Building smart power grids.
  2. Upgrading existing buildings and building new buildings to have the best energy and water efficiency possible.
  3. Eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution from transportation and agriculture.
  4. Cleaning up hazardous waste and abandoned sites.
  5. Making sure that people who run a business do not face unfair competition.
  6. Making sure that all people have access to a college education, healthcare, and affordable housing.

Opinions

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Public and Congress

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The Green New Deal is generally opposed by members of the Republican Party.[10] The Democratic Party has been split on the issue, however.[11] Public opinion polls seem to suggest that the public in general may be divided on the issue.[12]

Democratic Leadership

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has shown reservations on the passage of the bill. Though she has never directly shot it down, she stated in 2019 that she was not making a commitment passing the resolution, but that she welcomed the enthusiasm.[13] At one point she referred to the resolution as "The green dream or whatever they call it".[14]

Legislative history

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Deb Haaland speaking in support of the resolution in 2019

Summary

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As of February 27, 2024:

Congress Short title Bill number(s) Date introduced Sponsor(s) # of cosponsors Latest status
116th Congress Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal H.Res.109 February 7, 2019 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) 101 Died in Committee
S.Res.59 February 7, 2019 Ed Markey (D-MA) 14 Died in Committee
S.J.Res.8 February 13, 2019 Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 0 Cloture not invoked.
117th Congress H.Res.332 April 20, 2021 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) 104 Died in Committee
S.Res.166 April 20, 2021 Ed Markey (D-MA) 12 Died in Committee
118th Congress Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal H.Res.319 April 24, 2023 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) 96 Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction.
S.Res.173 April 25, 2023 Ed Markey (D-MA) 12 Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction.

116th Congress

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The resolution was first introduced in the 116th Congress. Neither Ed Markey or Ocasio-Cortez's versions of the resolution received a vote in either the House or Senate. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the resolution with the exact same text as Markey's own version and forced a vote on it in an attempt to make Democrats to take a position on the measure and use it against them in the 2020 election. Democrats refused to legitimize the effort and voted "present" in protest. The Resolution was thus defeated 0-57, with three conservative Democrats and one independent also voting against McConnell's resolution.[15][16][17]

117th Congress

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The resolution was introduced on April 20, 2021 and received 101 co-sponsors.[9]

Marjorie Taylor Greene challenged the resolution's sponsor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a debate over the measure. Greene said in a tweet that she was told by Ocasio-Cortez to read "all 14 pages" first, and Greene seemingly admitted that she had not yet read the resolution.[18][19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Adragna, Anthony. "Progressives formally reintroduce the Green New Deal". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  2. ^ DSouza, Deborah. "The Green New Deal Explained". Investopedia. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  3. ^ Friedman, Lisa (2019-02-21). "What Is the Green New Deal? A Climate Proposal, Explained". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  4. ^ "Why 2 degrees Celsius is climate change's magic number". PBS NewsHour. 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  5. ^ Leber, Rebecca (2014-12-22). "This Is What Our Hellish World Will Look Like After We Hit the Global Warming Tipping Point". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  6. ^ "Summary for Policymakers — Global Warming of 1.5 °C". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  7. ^ "We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN". the Guardian. 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  8. ^ Tollefson, Jeff (2018-10-08). "IPCC says limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require drastic action". Nature. 562 (7726): 172–173. Bibcode:2018Natur.562..172T. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-06876-2. PMID 30301994.
  9. ^ a b c d e Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria (2021-04-21). "Text - H.Res.332 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  10. ^ Dorman, Sam (2019-05-22). "House GOP resolution blasts 'Green New Deal' as violating nation's 'bedrock principles'". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  11. ^ King, Ledyard. "Pelosi calls Green New Deal 'a list of aspirations,' and her Democratic party isn't sold on it either". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  12. ^ Roberts, David (2019-04-22). "Green New Deal poll shows a unified right and divided left". Vox. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  13. ^ "Pelosi on Green New Deal: 'I can't say we're going to take that and pass it'". Roll Call. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  14. ^ Shaw, Adam (2019-02-07). "Pelosi throws shade as Green New Deal unveiled: 'Green dream or whatever they call it'". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  15. ^ Markey, Edward J. (2019-02-07). "Actions - S.Res.59 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): A resolution recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  16. ^ "Senate Democrats dodge vote on Green New Deal resolution". Roll Call. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  17. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  18. ^ Teh, Cheryl. "Marjorie Taylor Greene is gunning for a debate with AOC over the Green New Deal — but admits she hasn't actually read 'all 14 pages' of it yet". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  19. ^ Harvey, Josephine (2021-04-22). "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Admits She Hasn't Even Read The Proposal She Keeps Attacking". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
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