Winning the Green New Deal

June 15, 2020
Founders and supporters of the progressive Sunrise Movement join forces to argue for the Green New Deal. In this urgent collection, edited by Sunrise leaders Prakash and Girgenti, the contributions cohere into a difficult-to-disparage--logically, at least, if not politically--argument for immediate change. "The Green New Deal," writes Rhiana Gunn-Wright, who helped create the concept with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "is a proposal for a ten-year economic mobilization to rapidly transition the U.S. to a zero-carbon economy, and in doing so to regenerate and reorganize the U.S. economy in ways that significantly reduce inequality and redress legacies of systemic oppression." She continues later, "[it] is a new policy vision--one that will guide government and society through the biggest task in modern history: decarbonizing our global economy within the next ten to twenty years." It seems like an inarguable, necessary proposition, but not in a political system that perpetuates economic inequality and ensures that the poor stay poor and the rich get richer. Addressing politics, science, economics, racism, and income inequality, among other topics, the contributors eviscerate the opposition to a movement that could not only change everything for the better, but save a world moving toward extinction. Though the reading is sometimes intellectually intense to the point of exhaustion, the editors wisely break up the rhetoric with personal stories from people whose regions will be inevitably affected by climate change. There are also moving personal narratives from the children who occupied Nancy Pelosi's office in 2018. Arrested by Capitol Police, they earned acclaim from Ocasio-Cortez and others. These incisive essays provide a clear blueprint for creating solutions regarding the climate crisis, standing up for appropriate representation, and uniting disparate forces to build a better world. Among the other contributors are Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, William Barber II, Joseph Stiglitz, Kate Aronoff, and David Wallace-Wells. A clear demonstration that the kids are all right. Now lead, follow, or get out of their way.

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June 22, 2020
Climate activists Prakash and Girgenti present a stirring essay collection in support of the Green New Deal. Prakash introduces the anthology by detailing a 2018 sit-in at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, which spurred congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to release a proposal for “a comprehensive program of reform to halt climate change while creating good jobs and reducing inequality.” The collection’s big-name contributors include Naomi Klein (On Fire), who explains the role of “deregulated capitalism” in the climate crisis; Joseph Stiglitz (People, Power, and Profits), who makes the economic case for the Green New Deal; and Rev. William Barber II (The Third Reconstruction), who draws parallels to post–Civil War reconstruction and the civil rights movement. The anthology also features instructive and moving testimony from people directly affected by the consequences of climate change, including a young woman whose hometown of Paradise, Calif., was destroyed by wildfire. By selecting contributors wisely, Prakash and Girgenti offer both a comprehensive representation of the climate movement and a practical road map for change. Young progressives will be especially affected by this impassioned and eloquent plea for progress. Agent: Anthony Arnove, Roam Agency.