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If the Green New Deal Happens, Who Will Build It?
The construction industry is poised to boom — but it won’t survive without much-needed diversity
In the weeks and months following the 2018 election, key organizations in the climate movement — spurred on in large part by the energetic work of the Sunrise Movement — have pushed forward a bold call for a Green New Deal. Envisioning a program at the scope and scale of Franklin Roosevelt’s post-Depression-era New Deal, the Green New Deal calls for a transition to 100 percent renewable energy, guaranteed employment in the clean energy sector, and massive investment in transportation and energy infrastructure.
The urgent proposal immediately gained significant traction. A week after the election, newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) joined a sit-in at the office of incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) to demand the creation of a select committee to draft the Green New Deal legislation. By the end of December, at least 45 members of Congress had come out in favor of the legislation, and over 140 progressive organizations had signed onto the campaign.
It is widely acknowledged that there is absolutely no chance of passing Green New Deal legislation during the Trump administration. Not only did Donald Trump call the recent…
