The Green New Deal is a strong vision for the future, stuck in the politics of today: Congressional Green New Deal resolution falls short on fossil fuels

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced a congressional resolution on a Green New Deal, detailing the desire to take congressional action on climate change.

As has been previously reported, this resolution will not call for an end to fossil fuels.

In response, Erich Pica, Friends of the Earth president, issued the following statement:

The Green New Deal is a strong vision for the future, stuck in the politics of today. We enthusiastically endorse the many pieces of the resolution that call for systemic change. But by failing to expressly call for an end of the fossil fuel era, the resolution misses an opportunity to define the scope of the challenge.

We are encouraged by many pieces of the resolution, including the embrace of a federal jobs guarantee, the commitment to worker rights and collective bargaining and recognition that the Green New Deal must be developed from the ground up in collaboration with frontline communities. While incomplete, the resolution is a good first step toward a Green New Deal.

It’s up to the grassroots to keep pushing at every step of this fight for an expansive vision that ends our fossil fuel addiction and solves the climate crisis.

Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (680) 770-4800, [email protected]