Understanding the Green New Deal

Amandla Compilation | 5 March 2019

Stopping the destructive effects of industrial, capitalist civilization is now considered by many on the left to be the defining challenge of our time. The vast majority of scientists agree that we need to radically change our society’s course within the next 12 years, or face rapidly changing climate at an unprecedented level. This will manifest in a deepening of ecological collapse, mass extinction of species, and even a protracted Dark Age. To confront this challenge, we need to understand what is causing this crisis, and how the crisis can be resolved.

This ecological crisis also intersects with political and economic crises of the capitalist system. The decay of social democracy is clearly expressed in the outbreak of national political crises the world over, while the Financial Crisis in 2008 has given rise to a rolling economic crisis globally that is quite apparently irresolvable. This rolling crisis has, amongst other things, caused massive job losses and ever increasing prices, resulting in declining living standards for the large majority of people.

A potential solution to minimise the impacts of these crises is to have a state-led investment strategy that seeks to roll back the impacts of climate change, provide political stability, address joblessness and deteriorating living conditions.

The Green New Deal is a platform being pushed by democrats in the US designed to just this. It’s a throwback to Roosevelts New Deal reforms and infrastructure programs, but with the aim of tackling climate change through stimulating the economy and meeting energy needs through renewable resources. It has been around for over 10 years now and has most noticeably been championed by left leaning congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

South Africa’s version of the Green New Deal is the One Million Climate Jobs programme. So what are these measures all about and what do they involve?

Below are some articles and videos we have selected that outline what is meant by the Green New Deal:

1. Climate & Capitalism Guiding principles for an Ecosocialist Green New Deal
2. Vaios Triantafyllou John Bellamy Foster on the ‘Green New Deal’
3. Kali Akuno Its ecosocialism or death 
4. Kate Aronoff With a Green New Deal here’s what the world could look like for the next generation
5. Kate Aronoff What the green new deal can look like[Podcast] 
6. What is the green new deal?[Video]
7. AOC Green New Deal onTrevor Noah’s the Daily Show[Video]
8. DemocracyNow! Ocasio-Cortez & Markey Unveil Sweeping “Green New Deal” to Radically Shift U.S. Off Fossil Fuels[Video]