- March 15, 2019
- Policy Matters Ohio
- Amy Hanauer, Amanda Woodrum
The Green New Deal has excited a new generation of activists and beautifully framed how this kind of societal transformation is in keeping with our history. Previous plans, like the Apollo Alliance and Blue-Green Alliance platforms, have carefully incorporated some policy nuances that we can learn from. As the Green New Deal is fleshed out, it can incorporate concerns that unions, transit advocates, urban planners and others have previously raised. We can make transformative green investments, employ people now, direct jobs and training to communities hurt by the conventional energy economy, cut pollution and emissions contributing to climate change, and slash spending on fossil fuels, particularly for low-income families whose homes and cars are often least efficient. That’s a great set of goals!
To create a Green New Deal that can achieve these goals, we must first understand how we use energy and where our emissions come from. In Ohio, 70 percent of emissions come from the electric power and transportation sectors combined. On the other hand, industry uses more fossil fuels than any other sector in Ohio. This means that to be successful, a Green New Deal has to start with aggressive strategies to tackle these three sectors.