The EcoAction committee of the Green Party of the US held an open discussion on Monday March 9 at 8 PM ET about its ecosocialist Green New Deal proposal, which it first promoted in 2010, and how to push the GND in the current political climate. Presenters include Howie Hawkins, Nina Schlegel, and Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright.

The first presenter was Howie Hawkins, the former GP presidential candidate who launched the GND during his 2010 campaign for Governor of NY. Here is a recent interview with Howie about the GND.

Howie is a retired Teamster living in Syracuse, NY; Active in movements for civil rights, peace, labor and the environment since the late 1960s; Co-founder of the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976; Co-founder of Green Party movement in the US in 1984; Member of the Green Party, the socialist organization Solidarity, and the Ukraine Solidarity Network with whom he has been working with climate campaigners in Ukraine to reconstruct Ukraine with renewable energy.

The original ecosocialist GND combined a ten-year transition to zero emissions with a strong Economic Bill of Rights (guaranteed universal living wage jobs, single payer health care, affordable housing, free college). It expressly called for a halt to fracking and new fossil fuels infrastructure, a rapid phase out of nuclear power, and cutting the military budget by at least 50% to help fund the transition. It supported public power and higher taxes on the wealthy.

Also speaking was Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright is a son of Sierra Leone, an international climate and environmental liberation advocate, a racial justice practitioner, a writer and policy expert residing in the United States with his family and their mischievous cats, “Evil” Ernie and MalaChai the Mischievous. He is a proud and active member of the Black Alliance for Peace and the North South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights. His radio program, “Full Spectrum with Anthony Rogers-Wright,” airs on the Mighty WPFW network every Tuesday at 6:00 PM EST.

The webinar will look at local efforts such as the Boston Green New Deal. Nina Schlegel is a climate justice advocate, researcher, and founder of the Global Center for Climate Justice and Green New Deal Resource Hub. She is the author of the 2018 "Climate Justice Boston" report for Boston's City Council, and created the Green New Deal & Just Recovery Plan for the City of Boston. Her research expertise includes: Green New Deal policy, the connection between democracy and climate justice, and urban climate justice.

The GND versions later rolled out in 2018 by Democrats (such as AOC) were much weaker, with a 30-year timeline, no express opposition to nukes and new fossil fuels, no cuts in the military budget, etc. Even this proposal was opposed by the Democratic Party leadership (e.g., Speaker Pelosi). The Democrats have increasingly distanced itself from the GND.

Most current “GND” proposals largely ignore the Economic Bill of Rights (except for the critical funding for environmental justice) and often tackle a limited though important climate initiative rather than a comprehensive rapid transition to zero emissions (e.g., building decarbonization, Green Schools, Green public housing). (See the Green New Deal Network)

While the Republicans have always been climate deniers opposed to climate action (especially Trump), the Democrats have been climate delayers, often pursuing an All of the Above Energy Strategy (e.g., making the US the world’s leading producer of oil and gas, pro-nuclear, carbon sequestration). Many Democrat leaders have begun to retreat from climate action, blaming the recent spikes in energy costs on such initiatives, when in reality it is largely due to increases in natural gas prices (prompted by allowing for export on natural gas, sanctions against Russian gas after ifs invasion of Ukraine, continuing to build out gas infrastructure and now the war in Iran.) Gas is the single largest source of electricity in the US, accounting for 43% in 2023.

Climate change remains an existential threat to humanity. Global warming and extreme weather continue to accelerate globally. The world has largely lost the chance to keep global warming below the 1.5 C degree target agreed to in Paris and increasingly it looks like we are headed to at least 2.5 C. Scientists warn that we are rapidly reached critical tipping points in climate change. While the threat from global warming is increasing, political support and public awareness has been waning.