By now, most people have heard of the Green New Deal. The GND is a proposed bill by the two main writers, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and senator Ed Markey along with over 100 other co-sponsors. This bill is a $3 trillion plan to help combat climate change, pollution, deforestation, extinction, and all other environment-related issues. Within the bill, they cite the 2018 study conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which found through its research that humans are the dominant cause of observed climate change over the past century and also includes some of the issues that humans have caused: the loss of almost 99% of coral reefs, rising temperatures, rising sea levels, increased wildfires, droughts, and even mass migration of humans and animals.
To a lot of people, $3 trillion is a huge amount of money, and it definitely is, however that is how much it is going to take to help reverse the damage already done by humans and help prevent further damage. This massive amount of money will go toward providing investments and leveraging funding to help communities affected by climate change, repairing and upgrading existing infrastructure to withstand extreme weather and ensuring all bills related to infrastructure in Congress address climate change, investing in renewable power sources, investing in manufacturing and industry to spur growth in the use of clean energy, building or upgrading current energy sources to be more energy-efficient, upgrading all existing buildings and building new ones so that they achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, supporting family farming, investing in sustainable farming, and building a more sustainable and equitable food system, investing in transportation systems, namely zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing, public transit, and high-speed rail, restoring ecosystems through land preservation, afforestation, and science-based projects, cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites, identifying unknown sources of pollution and emissions, and working with the international community on solutions and helping them achieve Green New Deals.
An example of an issue they are trying to combat that hits closest to home for a lot of us is the Flint water crisis. Flint has been without clean water for nearly five years due to poor governance by Rick Snyder. If the GND is passed, the federal governments along with local and state governments will work tirelessly to make sure every single home has access to clean water - which is something that is currently not happening in almost every single state, not just Michigan. In addition to providing clean water, they will also provide water to any homes affected by droughts, hurricanes, and other natural disasters resulting in a shortage of water.
The GND may be a huge topic of debate in the world today that not everyone agrees on, but if we really do want to help our Earth and improve for everyone, we all must work together to not only help pass a GND but also spread awareness and do our best on a local level to be mindful of our actions and those around us. No matter where you live, we are all being affected by climate change on a daily basis and we must do everything within our power to help protect and preserve the beautiful world around us so it can continue to be enjoyed by us and all future generations to come.