TheGreen New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to addressclimate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducingeconomic inequality.
a Europe of solidarity that can guarantee its citizens a good quality of life based on economic, social, and environmental sustainability; a truly democratic Europe that acts for its citizens and not just narrow industry interests; a Europe that acts for a green future.[8]
The first U.S. politician to run on a Green New Deal platform wasHowie Hawkins of theGreen Party when he ran for governor of New York in 2010.[9][10] In her 2012 campaign, Green Party presidential candidateJill Stein became the first presidential candidate to run on a Green New Deal platform and has continued to do so in each of her campaigns since then.[11]
Sustainable agriculture combined with renewable energy generation
Throughout the 1970s and 1990s, an economic policy to move the United States economy away from nonrenewable energy was developed by activists in the labor and the environmental movements.[14] During this period, the concept of green politics emerged as a result of increasing awareness and concern surrounding issues of climate change. The public contended that the US needed to address the climate crisis with a large-scale initiative, similar to the New Deal that was implemented under the Roosevelt administration. This sparked the emergence of various proposals on an international scale, particularly in the UK coalition and the UN Environmental Programme.[15] In the 1980s, the UN promoted the concept of "sustainable development" to frame environmentalism as an economic and social policy, contributing to later efforts by the UK such as the 2008 Climate Change Act.[15] This act was a targeted, preemptive measure against climate change and contributed to a sustainability transition within the US. The Green New Deal ultimately emerged as a result of an increasingly political historical context that was undergoing a sustainability transition.
If you have put a windmill in your yard or some solar panels on your roof, bless your heart. But we will only green the world when we change the very nature of the electricity grid – moving it away from dirty coal or oil to clean coal and renewables. And that is a huge industrial project – much bigger than anyone has told you. Finally, like the New Deal, if we undertake the green version, it has the potential to create a whole new clean power industry to spur our economy into the 21st century.[18]
Friedman expanded upon the idea in his September 2008 bookHot, Flat, and Crowded.[19] This approach was taken up in Britain by theGreen New Deal Group,[20] which published its eponymous report on July 21, 2008.[21] The concept was further popularized and put on a wider footing when theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) began to promote it internationally.
In early 2008, authorJeff Biggers launched a series of challenges for a Green New Deal from the perspective of his writings fromcoal country inAppalachia. Biggers wrote thatthen-presidential-candidate Obama "should shatter these artificialracial boundaries by proposing a New 'Green' Deal to revamp the region and bridge a growing chasm between bitterly dividedDemocrats, and call for an end tomountaintop removal policies that have led to impoverishment and ruin in the coal fields."[22] Biggers followed up with other Green New Deal proposals over the next four years.[23]While the discussion of the Green New Deal was relevant and widespread during this time, there were limitations to fully implementing it within the context of the Obama campaign. The framework of this initiative was weak, and primarily existed as a response to growing concern surrounding the climate crisis that had been accelerated due to increased reliance on fossil fuel extraction and consumption.
In late 2018/ early 2019, a series of extreme weather events led to the official "rebirth" of the Green New Deal, reflecting the sense of urgency that reverberated throughout the global population that struggled with addressing the consequences of climate change.[15] The Green New Deal can be considered a product of a broader shift towards environmentalism and action against climate change. According to historian and urban policy specialist Jon Bloomfield, "the Green New Deal was reborn in February 2019 as a package of proposed US legislation linking radical environmental and economic programmes, presented by Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Edward Markey."[15]
By 2019, international calls for a Green New Deal had already become more prominent. This reflected the popular support the GND had received in the US in late 2018, growing recognition of the global warming threat resulting from recentextreme weather events, theGreta effect and theIPCC 1.5 °C report. In addition to activity within conventional national & multilateral politics, there has been support for a Green New Deal withincity diplomacy. In October 2019, theC40 committed to supporting aGlobal Green New Deal, announcing there will be determined action from all its 94 cities, with 30 cities having already peaked their emissions and progressing rapidly towards net-zero.[28][29]
There were further proposals to include a GND, both in the US and internationally, in the recovery program for theCOVID-19 pandemic.[30][31][32][5][6][33][34][35]In December 2020, however, the United Nations released a report saying that a high proportion of the world's COVID-19 recoverystimulus was not going towards clean energy. UN secretary-generalAntónio Guterres declared the world's governments were "doubling down" onfossil fuels.[36][37]As of 2021, commentators such as theCouncil on Foreign Relations have noted that in addition to climate-friendly policies being enacted in the U.S. byJoe Biden, other major economies such as China, India, and the European Union have also begun "implementing some of the policies envisioned by the Green New Deal."[38][39]
In the context of the Green New Deal, environmental justice refers to the promotion of policies that recognize historical and ongoing injustices perpetuated against vulnerable populations such as communities of color, Indigenous populations, and low-income communities. Environmental justice also involves advocating for a just energy transition, job development, and the integration of economic policy and equity. Environmental justice is explicitly referenced as a crucial component of the Green New Deal, integrating various principles into its framework. Ensuring that communities of color, low-income populations, and Indigenous peoples are involved and represented within the policy of the Green New Deal is an important aspect of environmental justice. The Green New Deal commits to the equitable distribution of and access to resources, healthcare, and sustainable infrastructure in order to address systemic inequalities.[40]
The 2019 United States congressional resolutionRecognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal introduced byAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez andEd Markey advocated a "just transition", counteracting previous systemic injustices that had disproportionally hurt vulnerable communities. A “just transition” relies on increasing social and economic equity and access to opportunity which are crucial components of the Green New Deal and principles of environmental and social justice.[40] Specifically, this equitable environmental transition relies on the even distribution of clean energy investments throughout various communities in order to address issues of historic oppression and the exacerbation of environmental damage for vulnerable populations. The integration of multiple sectors and investments in climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience offers approaches to including climate justice principles in the mission of decarbonization efforts. The central argument is that the Green New Deal for Public Housing offers a persuasive plan for simultaneously addressing inadequate housing, climate threats, and economic injustice that exposes millions of Americans to public health issues. The plan proposes to increase spending to allow for zero-carbon homes to thrive, whether through decarbonization unit upgrades or new homes. Experts argue that through these methods, we could eliminate approximately 5.7 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to 1.26 million fewer cars.[41]
Data specialist and environmental educator Alaina Boyle states that "all the GND proposals dedicate space in the introduction to reference research on historic environmental, economic, and social injustices that relate to climate and jobs investments."[42] The preservation of public lands and resources, emphasis on community-led decision-making, and development of affordable healthcare, housing, and clean environments throughout various communities connects the Green New Deals to principles of environmental justice.[42]
AOC, who was heavily involved in the rebirth of the Green New Deal, specifically emphasized respecting Indigenous sovereignty and gaining the consent of these communities in respect to use their land for development and extraction. In this sense, environmental justice is emphasized by considering how clean energy developments will and should benefit marginalized communities.[43] This furthers the concept of procedural justice through the Green New Deal in which communities historically excluded from crucial decision-making processes that directly impact these groups have the opportunity to contribute to such discussions.
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: Have there been any more recent attempts to get this issue on the agenda?. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2025)
TheAustralian Greens have advocated for a "Green Plan", similar to the Green New Deal, since 2009.[44] Deputy leaderChristine Milne discussed the idea on theABC's panel discussion programQ&A on February 19, 2009,[45] and it was the subject of a major national conference of the Australian Greens in 2009.[46]
In early May 2019, with rising concerns about the need for urgent global environmental action to reduce potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, a non-partisan coalition of nearly 70 groups launched thePact for a Green New Deal (New Deal vert au Canada in French).[47] With press conferences in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, the coalition called for fossil fuel emissions to be halved by 2030.[48][49] On May 16, 2019, the Green Party released a 5-page summary of their plan entitled "Mission: Possible: The Green Climate Action Plan".[50]
On continental Europe, theEuropean Spring coalition campaigned under the banner of a "Green New Deal" for the2019 EU elections.[5][6] In December 2019, the newly electedEuropean Commission under Von der Leyen presented a set of policy proposals under the nameEuropean Green Deal. Compared to the United States plan, it has a less ambitious decarbonisation timeline, with an aim ofcarbon neutrality in 2050. The policy proposal involves every sector in the economy and the option of a border adjustment mechanism, a 'carbon tariff', is on the table to preventcarbon leakage from outside countries.[51]
A pilot program for a four-day workweek, under development by Spain'sValencian Regional Government, has been described as a "helpful counter to ... fearmongering about the bleak, hamburger-free world climate activists are allegedly plotting to create with a Green New Deal."[52]
In April 2020 the European Parliament called to include the European Green Deal in the recovery program from theCOVID-19 pandemic.[32]
The proposals were criticised for falling short of the goal of ending fossil fuels, or being sufficient for agreen recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.[53] In its place, it has been proposed that the EU enacts a "Green New Deal for Europe", which includes more investment, and changes the legal regulation that enables global warming from coal, oil, and gas to continue.[54]
In July 2021, the European Commission released its "Fit for 55" legislation package, which contains important guidelines for the future of the automotive industry; all new cars on the European market must bezero-emission vehicles from 2035.[55] According to European Commissioner for Climate ActionFrans Timmermans, "the best answer" to the2021 global energy crisis is "to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels."[56] ETS2 is the newEU Emissions Trading System that will enter into force in 2027 and, for the first time in history, will set a price for CO2 emissions from fuels used in the building and road transport sectors.[57]
In 2020, after the Democratic Party won an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the leadership of the country began to advance a Green New Deal. It includes:
In March 2019, Labour Party members launched a grassroots campaign calledLabour for a Green New Deal. The aim of the group is to push the party to adopt a radical Green New Deal to transform the UK economy, tackle inequality and address the escalating climate crisis. It also wants a region-specificgreen jobsguarantee, a significant expansion of public ownership and democratic control of industry, as well as mass investment in public infrastructure.[60] The group states that they got their inspiration from theSunrise Movement and the work that congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has done in the US. Group members have met withZack Exley, co-founder of the progressive groupJustice Democrats, to learn from the experiences that he and Ocasio-Cortez have had in working for the Green New Deal campaign in the US.[61]
On April 30, former Labour Party leaderEd Miliband joined Caroline Lucas and formerSouth ThanetConservative MPLaura Sandys in calling for a Green New Deal in the UK.[62] The left-wing campaigning groupMomentum also wish to influence the Labour Party's manifesto to include a Green New Deal.[63]
In September 2019, the Labour party committed to a Green New Deal at its2019 annual conference. This included a target todecarbonise by 2030.[4][64]Polling undertook byYouGov in late October 2019 found that 56% of British adults support the goal of making the UK carbon neutral by 2030 or earlier.[65]
In July 2020, while the UK government promised a "green recovery" from theCOVID-19 pandemic, this was criticised as being insufficient, and lacking changes to regulation that enabled coal, oil, and gas pollution to continue.[66] An alternative "Green Recovery Act", widely endorsed by politicians and the media,[67] was published by an academic and think tank group that would target nine fields of law reform, on transport, energy generation, agriculture, fossil fuels, local government, international agreement, finance and corporate governance, employment, and investment. This has the goal of establishing duties on all public bodies and regulators to end use of all coal, oil and gas "as fast as technologically practicable", with strict exceptions if there are not yet technical alternatives.[68]
In 2006, a Green New Deal was created by the Green New Deal Task Force as a plan for one hundred percent clean, renewable energy by 2030 utilizing acarbon tax, ajobs guarantee, free college,single-payer healthcare, and a focus on using public programs.[69][70]
Since 2006, the Green New Deal has been included in the platforms of multiple Green Party candidates, such asHowie Hawkins' gubernatorial campaigns in2010,2014, and2018, and Jill Stein's2012 and2016 presidential campaigns.[69]
A "Green New Deal" wing began to emerge in theDemocratic Party after theNovember 2018 elections.[72][73] A possible program in 2018 for a "Green New Deal" assembled by the think tank Data for Progress was described as "pairing labor programs with measures to combat theclimate crisis."[74][75]
A November 2018 article inVogue stated, "There isn't just one Green New Deal yet. For now, it's a platform position that some candidates are taking to indicate that they want the American government to devote the country to preparing for climate change as fully asFranklin Delano Roosevelt once did to reinvigorating the economy after theGreat Depression."[76]
By the end of November, eighteen Democratic members of Congress were co-sponsoring a proposed House Select Committee on a Green New Deal, and incoming representativesAyanna Pressley andJoe Neguse had announced their support.[80][81] Draft text would task this committee with a "'detailed national, industrial, economic mobilization plan' capable of making the U.S. economy 'carbon neutral' while promoting 'economic andenvironmental justice and equality,'" to be released in early 2020, with draft legislation for implementation within 90 days.[82][83]
A Sunrise Movement protest on behalf of a Green New Deal at the Capitol Hill offices of Nancy Pelosi andSteny Hoyer on December 10, 2018, featuredLennox Yearwood and speakers as young as age 7, resulting in 143 arrests.[86]Euronews, the pan-European TV network, displayed video of youth with signs saying "Green New Deal," "No excuses", and "Do your job" in its "No Comment" section.[87]
On December 14, 2018, a group of over 300 local elected officials from 40 states issued a letter endorsing a Green New Deal approach.[88][89] That same day, a poll released byYale Program on Climate Change Communication indicated that although 82% of registered voters had not heard of the "Green New Deal," it had strong bi-partisan support among voters. Anon-partisan description of the general concepts behind a Green New Deal resulted in 40% of respondents saying they "strongly support", and 41% saying they "somewhat support" the idea.[90]
On January 10, 2019, over 600 organizations submitted a letter to Congress declaring support for policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes phasing out fossil fuel extraction and endingfossil fuel subsidies, transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2035, expanding public transportation, and strict emission reductions rather than reliance on carbon emission trading.[91]
On February 7, 2019, RepresentativeAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez and SenatorEdward Markey released a fourteen-page resolution for their Green New Deal (House Resolution 109, closely related to S. Res. 59).[92] Their proposal advocated transitioning the United States to 100% renewable, zero-emission energy sources, along with investment inelectric cars andhigh-speed rail systems, and implementing the "social cost of carbon" that had been part of the Obama administration's plan for addressing climate change within 10 years. Besides increasingstate-sponsored jobs, this Green New Deal also sought to address poverty by aiming much of the improvements in "frontline and vulnerable communities" which include poor and disadvantaged people. The resolution included calls foruniversal health care, increased minimum wages, and preventingmonopolies.[93]
According toThe Washington Post (February 11, 2019), the resolution called for a "10-year national mobilization" whose primary goals would be:[94]
"Guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States."
"Providing all people of the United States with – (i) high-quality health care; (ii) affordable, safe, and adequate housing; (iii) economic security; and (iv) access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature."
"Providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States."
"Meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources."
"Repairing and upgrading the infrastructure in the United States, including . . . by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as technologically feasible."
"Building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and 'smart' power grids, and working to ensure affordable access to electricity."
"Upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification."
"Overhauling transportation systems in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in – (i) zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; (ii) clean, affordable, and accessible public transportation; and (iii) high-speed rail."
"Spurring massive growth in clean manufacturing in the United States and removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and industry as much as is technologically feasible."
"Working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible."[95]
Various perspectives emerged in late 2018 as to whether to form a committee dedicated to climate, what powers such a committee might be granted, and whether the committee would be specifically tasked with developing a Green New Deal.
Incoming House committee chairsFrank Pallone andPeter DeFazio indicated a preference for handling these matters in theHouse Energy and Commerce Committee and theHouse Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.[84][96] Congressman Pallone has committed to the development of renewable fuel storage and “more federal funding to help offset the lack of investment from the private sector in electricity storage research, development, and demonstration” and the need to develop a “federal energy storage roadmap, similar to those established by some states, in order to increase coordination among the various private initiatives, the national labs, and other federal agencies.”[97]
Proposals for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis did not contain "Green New Deal" language and lacked the powers desired by Green New Deal proponents, such as the ability tosubpoena documents ordepose witnesses.[98][99][100]
On January 10, 2019, a letter signed by 626 organizations in support of a Green New Deal was sent to all members of Congress. It called for measures such as "an expansion of theClean Air Act; a ban oncrude oil exports; an end tofossil fuel subsidies and fossil fuel leasing; and a phase-out of all gasoline-powered vehicles by 2040."[102][103]
An article inThe Atlantic quoted Greg Carlock, who prepared "a different Green New Deal plan for the left-wing think tank Data for Progress" as responding, "There is no scenario produced by the IPCC or the UN where we hit mid-centurydecarbonization without some kind of carbon capture."[102]
TheMIT Technology Review responded to the letter with an article titled, "Let's Keep the Green New Deal Grounded in Science". The MIT article states that, although the letter refers to the "rapid and aggressive action" needed to prevent the 1.5 ˚C of warming specified in the UN climate panel's latest report, simply acknowledging the report's recommendation is not sufficient. If the letter's signatories start from a position where the options of carbon pricing, carbon capture for fossil plants, hydropower, and nuclear power, are not even on the table for consideration, there may be no feasible technical means to reach the necessary 1.5 ˚C climate goal.[105]
A report inAxios suggested that the letter's omission of acarbon tax, which has been supported by moderate Republicans, did not mean that signatories would oppose carbon pricing.[103][106]
The Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy atGeorge Mason University was quoted as saying, "As long as organizations hold onto a rigid set of ideas about what the solution is, it's going to be hard to make progress ... And that's what worries me."[105]
Many who support some goals of the Green New Deal express doubt about feasibility of one or more of its parts.John P. Holdren, former science advisor to Obama, thinks the 2030 goal is too optimistic, saying that 2045 or 2050 would be more realistic.[107]
Many members of the Green party have also attacked the plan due to its cutting of multiple parts of their plan, such as the elimination of nuclear power and jobs guarantee, and the changing of the goal from a one hundred percent clean, renewable energy economy by 2030 to the elimination of the U.S. carbon footprint by 2030.[69][70]
EconomistEdward Barbier, who developed the "Global Green New Deal" proposal for theUnited Nations Environment Programme in 2009, opposes "a massive federal jobs program," saying "The government would end up doing more and more of what the private sector and industry should be doing." Barbier preferscarbon pricing, such as acarbon tax orcap-and-trade system, in order to "address distortions in the economy that are holding back private sector innovation and investments in clean energy."[108]
When SenatorDianne Feinstein (D-CA) was confronted by youth associated with theSunrise Movement on why she does not support the Green New Deal, she told them "there's no way to pay for it" and that it could not pass a Republican-controlled Senate. In a tweet following the confrontation, Feinstein said that she remains committed "to enact real, meaningful climate change legislation."[109] According toBloomberg Businessweek, Wall Street is willing to invest significant resources toward GND programs, but not unless Congress commits to moving it forward.[110]
TheAFL–CIO, in a letter to Ocasio-Cortez, expressed strong reservations about the GND, saying, "We welcome the call for labor rights and dialogue with labor, but the Green New Deal resolution is far too short on specific solutions that speak to the jobs of our members and the critical sections of our economy."[111]
In an op-ed forSlate, Alex Baca criticizes the Green New Deal for failing to address the environmental, economic, and social consequences ofurban sprawl.[112] Adam Millsap criticizes the GND's overreliance on public transit to make cities more environmentally friendly, since public transit integrates better in monocentric cities than in polycentric ones. He suggestsland use reforms to increasedensity,congestion pricing, and eliminatingparking requirements as measures that can be applied more flexibly to cities with monocentric and polycentric layouts.[113]
Although the Green New Deal is often presented as a left-wing proposal, criticism of it has come from left-wing commentators who have argued that the Green New Deal fails to tackle the real cause of the climate emergency, namely the concept of unending growth and consumption inherent incapitalism, and is instead an attempt togreenwash capitalism.[114] Left wing critics of the Green New Deal argue that it is not themonetization of Green policies and practices within capitalism that are necessary, but an anti-capitalist adoption of policies forde-growth.[115]
Similar criticisms, particularly held by indigenous communities, have been expressed in terms of the potential for “green colonialism” under the Green New Deal. The negative repercussions of the development and promotion of clean technology to reduce carbon emissions will particularly affect Global South nations, perpetuating ideals of colonial dispossession in the name of decarbonization.[116] Rather than addressing the underlying systemic roots of environmental degradation and climate change, these communities argue that the prioritization of the development of clean technology may restructure the problem and inflict environmental burden on other global nations. Indigenous concern regarding the Green New Deal’s potential to further “Eurocentric and techno optimistic character of mainstream green capitalism”[116] suggests the need for reparations, structural reform, sovereignty, and self-determination for all people, particularly these indigenous communities
In September 2019,Naomi Klein publishedOn Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.[117]On Fire is a collection of essays focusing on climate change and the urgent actions needed to preserve the planet. Klein relates her meeting withGreta Thunberg in the opening essay in which she discusses the entrance of young people into those speaking out for climate awareness and change. She supports the Green New Deal throughout the book and in the final essay she discusses the 2020 U.S. election saying "The stakes of the election are almost unbearably high. It's why I wrote the book and decided to put it out now and why I'll be doing whatever I can to help push people toward supporting a candidate with the most ambitious Green New Deal platform—so that they win the primaries and then the general."[118][119][120]
TheHeinrich Böll Foundation published proposals for a Green New Deal in Germany, the European Union, as well as North America,[191] Israel,[192] and Ukraine.[193]
On February 9, 2019, United States PresidentDonald Trump voiced his opposition using sarcasm viaTwitter as follows: "I think it is very important for the Democrats to press forward with their Green New Deal. It would be great for the so-called "Carbon Footprint" to permanently eliminate all Planes, Cars, Cows, Oil, Gas & the Military – even if no other country would do the same. Brilliant!"[199]
Democratic SenatorDianne Feinstein objected to the plan saying "there's no way to pay for it" and is drafting her own narrowed down version. Democratic SenatorJoe Manchin criticized the plan as a "dream" adding that 'it would hurt regions dependent on reliable, affordable energy."[200]
Republican White House aideSebastian Gorka has referred to the deal as "what Stalin dreamed about but never achieved" and that "they [proponents of the deal] want to take your pickup truck. They want to rebuild your home. They want to take away your hamburgers." The comments about hamburgers are a common criticism of the deal by conservatives, who have gone on to criticize Representative Ocasio-Cortez for allowing her chief of staff to eat a hamburger with her at a Washington restaurant.[201]
On February 13, 2019, Rep.Mark Walker (R-NC) released aparody video on his verified Twitter account comparing the Green New Deal to the failedFyre Festival, using the hashtag #GNDisFyre.[202][203]
On March 14, 2019, Rep.Rob Bishop, a Republican representingUtah's 1st congressional district, said that the legislation was "tantamount togenocide," adding shortly afterward that his comment was "maybe an overstatement, but not by a lot."[204]
During aFox Business interview on August 13, 2020, President Donald Trump again voiced his opposition, declaring that adopting the Green New Deal would result in demolishing theEmpire State Building and abolishing all animals.[205][206]
On March 26, in what Democrats called a "stunt," Republicans called for an early vote on the resolution without allowing discussion or expert testimony. In protest, 42 Democrats and one Independent whocaucuses with Democrats voted "present"[207] resulting in a 57–0 defeat on the Senate floor. Three Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with Democrats voted against the bill, while the other votes were along party lines.[208]
Howie Hawkins, theGreen Party's 2020 presidential candidate, ran on a Green New Deal platform calling for the U.S. to reach zero greenhouse emissions and 100% clean energy by 2030.[9]
Democratic Party presidential candidate and president-electJoe Biden has declined to endorse the full Green New Deal plan proposed by members of his party, but he has promised to increase generation of renewable energy, transition to more energy efficient buildings and increase fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.[209] The joint policy proposals developed by the Biden and Sanders campaigns, which were released on July 8, 2020, do not include a Green New Deal.[210]
In 2021, commentators noted that early climate-related executive actions byPresident Biden, such as re-joining theParis Agreement, have much in common with the 2019 GND proposed by Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey. According to Mike Krancer, while he sees theBiden Plan For A Clean Energy Revolution And Environmental Justice and the 2019 proposal as very similar, a key difference is that the Biden plan includes a prominent role forcarbon capture and storage technology.[211][212][38] President Biden's infrastructure package, which pledges to halve 2005 U.S. greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2030,[213] has been criticized by progressives, including Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, as not being ambitious enough to achieve the scale required to mitigate climate change.[214] Biden's climate plan is incorporated in hisAmerican Jobs Plan andAmerican Families Plan, which would in part lead to the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps modeled after theCivilian Conservation Corps.[215]
In August 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law theInflation Reduction Act, which contains the largest climate investment by the U.S. federal government in history.[216]
On April 20, 2021, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Markey and fellowDemocratic lawmakers reintroduced the Green New Deal Resolution at theNational Mall. The resolution reaffirms the threat produced by climate change and the responsibility of the US to recommit to meeting the emission goals outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.[217]
In April 2021,The Red Nation Indigenous advocacy group released theRed Deal. The Red Deal is a proposal designed to supplement the Green New Deal, and incorporates a range of anti-capitalism and Indigenous decolonisation proposals designed to halt climate change.[218][219]
The framework of the Red Deal relies on an understanding of climate change as intrinsically connected to colonization and capitalist economics. According to the Red Deal, an American history of imperialism and industrial development has led to an excessive and destructive reliance on the Earth’s natural resources which must be countered by reevaluating these systems and their modern implications. The Red Deal operates under an anti-capitalist framework, addressing root causes of environmental injustice and other interrelated areas such as prison abolition, demilitarization, Indigenous treaty rights, land restoration, sovereignty, self-determination, decolonization, and liberation. These areas of focus criticize extractive processes and violence that limit the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities.[220]
Framers of the Red Deal call for revolutionary resistance that involves caretaking and responsibility of human and non-human relations. It involves a collaborative effort, addressing various communities such as indigenous and nonindigenous people, activists, scholars, and those seeking to develop an understanding of anticolonial and anticapitalistic environmentalism. This framework extends the vision of the Green New Deal by centering indigenous movements against capitalism and colonialism as crucial to the mission of the Green New Deal.[220]
This proposal centers indigenous perspective and insight to facilitate environmental justice which is a core principle of the Green New Deal. It focuses on the concept of Indigeneity which recognizes the unique perspectives and experiences that have shaped indigenous relationship with the land, centering indigenous perspective as crucial in addressing climate change and environmental injustice. Rather than focus on Indigeneity as an identity, the framers of the Red Deal argue that Indigenous relations to the environment provide a framework for climate change policy such as the Green New Deal.
The Red Deal differs from the Green New Deal in that the Green New Deal often promotes new development and technology aimed at emission reduction while the Red Deal recognizes that this development cannot contribute to meaningful change so long as it exists within colonial and capitalist systems. The Red New Deal offers critiques of the Green New Deal in this sense, contending that ownership and exploitation cannot solve broader issues of environmental degradation and climate change.
After the Green New Deal idea was proposed byThomas Friedman in 2007 and developed by the BritishGreen New Deal Group, a plan for an international green new deal was advanced by the United Nations. On October 22, 2008,UNEP's Executive DirectorAchim Steiner unveiled aGlobal Green New Deal initiative as a response to theGreat Recession, aiming to create jobs in "green" industries, thus boosting the world economy and curbing climate change at the same time.[221] The UN continued to promote the global green new deal into 2009 both to the G20[222] and its wider membership.[223] The International green new deal was also supported byGordon Brown.[224] Yet despite the success of Brown and others in bringing about ashort lived worldwide return to Keynesian stimulus policies, the focus of extra government spending was on supporting existing economic activity, rather than speeding the transition to the green economy. In 2019, United Nations officials and others once again called for a global green new deal.[225] In July 2021, theGlobal Alliance for a Green New Deal was launched, a group of politicians from around the world campaigning for an international Green New Deal.[226]
In August 2022, Congress adopted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in order to invest in energy security, clean energy, and affordable healthcare.[227] According to Guri Bang of Norwegian University of Life Sciences, the IRA is structured to utilize economic incentives rather than the implementation of regulatory policies in order to combine economic and climate related policies.[228] The IRA allocates $369 billion in public spending for over 50 programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40% from 2005 levels by 2030 in the US.[228] In order to address congressional opposition, the implementation of the IRA involved compromise such as the inclusion of leases for fossil fuel extraction.[228]
This legislation will facilitate the progression of the Green New Deal in achieving its goals related to clean energy development, environmental justice, and action against climate change.[229] The IRA contributes significantly to the Green New Deal through federal funding, providing access to resources such as decarbonization and workforce development to local governments, indigenous communities, etc.[230] Supporters of the IRA argue that this legislation is substantial in serving as a foundation for the long-term implementation of the Green New Deal.
However, on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14154, “Unleashing American Energy” which includes the revocation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Green New Deal in sections 4 and 7.[231] There is current uncertainty as to how this will be implemented, how this will impact the funding of clean energy initiatives such as the Green New Deal, and the implications of this Executive Order on the renewable energy sector. The administration has publicly denounced efforts related to environmental justice investments and decarbonization due to an increasing push for domestic energy expansion, limiting the implementation of efforts under the Green New Deal. The expansion of domestic fossil fuel development and rollbacks of environmental protections contradict the efforts of the Green New Deal.[231]
Legal experts have questioned the legality of this Executive Order, and express concern regarding the environmental implications of the acceleration of fracking. For example, Andres Restrepo, senior attorney of the Sierra Club, has stated his concern that “A huge amount of the work that has been spent to protect the public health and welfare will be erased.”[232] There is uncertainty regarding the practical implementation of “Unleashing American Energy,” especially in terms of the consequences this may have on the Green New Deal and related policy proposals.
^Hilary French, Michael Renner and Gary Gardner: Toward a Transatlantic Green New DealArchived March 29, 2014, at theWayback Machine The authors state: "Support is growing around the world for an integrated response to the current economic and environmental crises, increasingly referred to as the "Green New Deal". The term is a modern-day variation of the U.S. New Deal, an ambitious effort launched by President Franklin Roosevelt to lift the United States out of the Great Depression. The New Deal of that era entailed a strong government role in economic planning and a series of stimulus packages launched between 1933 and 1938 that created jobs through ambitious governmental programs, including the construction of roads, trails, dams, and schools. Today's Green New Deal proposals are also premised on the importance of decisive governmental action, but incorporate policies to respond to pressing environmental challenges through a new paradigm of sustainable economic progress."
^Friedersdorf, Conor (May 21, 2012)."The 3 Green Party Candidates and Their Disappointing Platforms".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. RetrievedNovember 14, 2018.Jill Stein's "Green New Deal" is far and away the most deeply thought-out platform on offer, and it still consists largely of assertions of the utopian ends it'll achieve, rather than realistic means for getting there.
^abAndrew Chatzky and Anshu Siripurapu (February 1, 2021)."Envisioning a Green New Deal: A Global Comparison".Council on Foreign Relations.Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2021.major world economies, including China, India, and the European Union, have begun implementing some of the policies envisioned by the Green New Deal,
^Kira McDonald, Daniel Aldana Cohen, and RuthyGourevitch. “The Case for a Green New Deal for PublicHousing.” Climate and Community Project, March 2024.
^European Environmental Bureau, 'EU plans multi-billion euro 'green recovery' but falls short in crucial areas' (May 27, 2020)eeb.orgArchived July 15, 2020, at theWayback Machine. Friends of the Earth Europe, 'EU Green Deal: fails to slam on the brakes' (December 11, 2019).
^F Harvey, 'Treasury's 'green recovery' not enough, say campaigners' (July 7, 2020)GuardianArchived July 15, 2020, at theWayback Machine
^e.g. 'The Guardian view on a post-Covid-19 recovery: not much building back greener' (July 7, 2020)GuardianArchived July 15, 2020, at theWayback Machine, "Mr Johnson has talked of a "new deal" and he could take up the suggestion by the Common Wealth thinktank to legislate for a green recovery act to drive an economic revival with renewable energy at its core."
^David Montgomery (July 10, 2019)."AOC's Chief of Change".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. RetrievedJuly 14, 2019.'The interesting thing about the Green New Deal,' he said, 'is it wasn't originally a climate thing at all.' Ricketts greeted this startling notion with an attentive poker face. 'Do you guys think of it as a climate thing?' Chakrabarti continued. 'Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing.'
^Friedman, Lisa; Gabriel, Trip (February 21, 2019)."A New Deal at Once Possible and Problematic".The New York Times. p. A1.Archived from the original on March 10, 2019. RetrievedMarch 11, 2019.Holdren, who is now a professor of environmental policy at Harvard University, said the Green New Deal's timeline of achieving that goal around 2030 is not feasible. "As a technologist studying this problem for 50 years, I don't think we can do it," he said. "There's hope we could do it by 2045 or 2050 if we get going now," he added.
^Dmietrieva, Katia (February 14, 2019)."Wall Street Is More Than Willing to Fund the Green New Deal".Bloomberg Businessweek.Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. RetrievedMarch 11, 2019.The plan's greatest flaw, critics say, is that it would be too costly. Ocasio-Cortez advocates deficit spending, and she's floated a 70 percent marginal tax rate for high earners that would generate some of the necessary revenue. But those worried about where the rest of the money will come from are forgetting one major, surprisingly enthusiastic player: Wall Street.
^Klein, Naomi (September 17, 2019).On Fire. Simon and Schuster.ISBN978-1-9821-2991-0.Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. RetrievedAugust 12, 2019.
^Meyer, Robinson (March 26, 2019)."The 3 Democrats Who Voted Against the Green New Deal".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. RetrievedMarch 28, 2019.The Senate rejected the Green New Deal on Tuesday, in a decisive 57–0 vote that Democrats decried as a political stunt meant to divide their caucus. All the Republican senators opposed the measure. They were joined by four senators who caucus with the Democrats – Senator Joe Manchin, from the coal-heavy state of West Virginia, along with Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Angus King of Maine.
^CARRIÓ, M. S.; COOPER, D. The Red Deal: Decolonising Climate Action.Architectural Design,[s. l.], v. 92, n. 1, p. 78–85, 2022.doi:10.1002/ad.2776 Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=154483096&site=eds-live&scope=site. Acesso em: March 18, 2023.
^abcBang, Guri. "The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act: Climate Policy as Economic Crisis Response."Environmental Politics, vol. 33, no. 1, 2024, pp. 1–22. Taylor & Francis, https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2024.2437886.
^Gerasimchuk, Ivetta. “The US Inflation Reduction Act: Is It a Green Deal?”Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs, March 25, 2025, https://www.sciencespo.fr/psia/chair-sustainable-development/2025/03/25/the-us-inflation-reduction-act-is-it-a- green-deal/.
^Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Green New Deal Implementation Guide. March 20, 2024, https://ocasio- cortez.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/ocasio-cortez.house.gov/files/evo-media- document/2024.03.20%20GND%20Implementation%20Guide.pdf.
^abThe White House. “Unleashing American Energy.”The White House, Jan. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential- actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/.
^Kiley Bense, “New Trump Administration Directives to Repeal Environmental Regulations En Masse Make ‘No Sense,’ Legal Experts Say - inside Climate News,” Inside Climate News, April 12, 2025, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12042025/new-trump-administration-directives-to-repeal-environmental-regulations-en-masse-make-no-sense-legal-experts-say/
Aronoff, Kate (2019).A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal. Alyssa Battistoni, Daniel Aldana Cohen, Thea N. Riofrancos, Naomi Klein. London: Verso Books.ISBN978-1-78873-831-6.OCLC1126186838.online
Bloomfield, Jon, and Fred Steward. "The politics of the green new deal."Political Quarterly 91.4 (2020): 770-779online
Carmack, Meagan, Nives Dolšak, and Aseem Prakash. "Electoral appeal of climate policies: The Green New Deal and the 2020 US House of Representatives elections."PLOS Climate 1.6 (2022): e0000043.online
Chomsky, Noam (2020).Climate crisis and the global green new deal: the political economy of saving the planet. Robert Pollin, Chronis Polychroniou. London.ISBN978-1-78873-985-6.OCLC1156445770.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Mastini, Riccardo, Giorgos Kallis, and Jason Hickel. "A green new deal without growth?"Ecological Economics 179 (2021): 106832.online
Netzer, Nina (2011).A global green new deal response to crisis or paradigm shift towards sustainability?. Berlin.ISBN978-3-86872-734-0.OCLC748701860.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Pettifor, Ann (2019).The Case for the Green New Deal. London: Verso Books.ISBN9781788739528.
Smol, Marzena. "Is the green deal a global strategy? Revision of the green deal definitions, strategies and importance in post-COVID recovery plans in various regions of the world."Energy Policy 169 (2022): 113152.online
Varshini Prakash, Guido Girgenti (2020).Winning the green new deal: why we must, how we can (First Simon & Schuster trade paperback ed.). New York, NY.ISBN978-1-9821-4243-8.OCLC1156413445.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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