A Green New Deal that creates millions of new, well-paying jobs and transitions our society to be carbon neutral is necessary for not just this planet, but also our communities.
Nine of the last 10 summers in this country have been the warmest in a century. That the planet is heating up is undeniable. As a country we have ignored the escalating situation to the point where if we do not create a radical solution we will have created a crisis.
Incremental solutions like a carbon tax would have been appropriate 30 years ago, not now. In both 2016 and 2018 voters in this state rejected a carbon tax because they suspected the costs would be largely their burden to bear. A Green New Deal is a better solution for them because it creates manyf well-paying jobs that would help those struggling families.
The Green New Deal also advocates a high-speed rail network and I have already seen state and local politicians use that to avoid supporting it, in an effort to defend the region’s aerospace industry. By not supporting the Green New Deal you are not protecting jobs in Snohomish County, you are preventing high-speed rail line and many other jobs from coming to the area. The proposal does not try to eliminate airplanes, and indeed could not.
Others say that the Green New Deal is unrealistic, and yet, we’ve done it before, implemented by one of this nation’s most popular presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt. And it worked. A Green New Deal would carry on Roosevelt’s legacy to help both the people and the environment.
If you support the Green New Deal please contact Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Rick Larsen to encourage them to help the future of both the middle class and the planet.
Christopher Andersson
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
