EP 368 The Green New Deal: Too Much Too Soon or Not Enough at All?

Most climate scientists say we have dragged our feet too long on addressing the harms that are, and will be, caused by climate change. Yet, for many, forest wildfires, powerful hurricanes and two 100 years storms in the space of five years, is not evidence enough to convince them that its effects are potentially devastating and that dramatic actions are needed. While America tamped down the Paris Climate Accords under the Obama Administration to allow the fossil fuel industry to maintain viability, that was not enough for the Trump Administration. They pulled America out of the agreement. In response, progressive politicians and citizen action groups have come forward with the Green New Deal. The question is whether it’s a big enough deal to address the continuing carbon-based warming of the planet, evidenced by the science. Enter Stan Cox, author of ‘The Green New Deal and Beyond: Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can’, who suggests that ‘to avoid disaster, we need a strict national emissions ceiling that delcines steeply year by year.’ He’s not looking to augment and ultimately replace the fossil fuel industry with green energy. He wants to supplant it–and fast. Of course, the implications are changes in lifestyle and consumption. Is America ready for that? What has the coronavirus epidemic told us about our willingness to sacrifice for public health? This episode should get you thinking.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download