Green New Deal, what is it?

Welcome back to Way To Zero Waste, today we come to talk about a very important topic, the Green New Deal. What is it, who implements it and what are the countries that are part of it committed to? Read on to answer these questions.

The Green New Deal is a recovery plan for Europe. It seeks to achieve a radical transformation of the global economy, which is currently very unstable as a consequence of the global pandemic Covid-19.

This treaty will serve on the one hand to reduce our carbon footprint, better address climate change and improve the quality of life and on the other hand to reduce or eradicate inequality in society. This movement is driven by environmental advocates and will force a redefinition of budgetary and monetary policy at the European level.

Ecological problems such as climate change and natural disasters are largely related to human actions. Year after year, industrialized countries spend millions and millions of euros to get out of the economic crisis by paying attention only to the economic factor. The Green New Deal comes to highlight the importance of focusing on a radical change in the ecology of the economy, since the patterns of the existing economy are the cause of the current crisis.

These two problems that affect the world's population are closely related and that is why the Green New Deal will help:

• Adequately modernize buildings and constructions so that these infrastructures optimize their energy efficiency and decarbonize all buildings.

• Restore ecosystems that have been damaged due to the increase of the earth's temperature.

• Greening energy systems by investing more in renewable energies, among others.

The valuable objective of the Green New Deal is:

• Incorporate renewable energy to reduce environmental pollution in homes, businesses and transportation.

• Improve water and air quality. To achieve this, lead pipes will be replaced and hazardous waste sites will be cleaned up to minimize water and air pollution.

• Supporting communities that require better resources to ensure their safety in the event of natural disasters. In addition, it is of greater importance to recover wetlands as they help to slow down the tide and strong winds.

• Ensure lower public transportation and energy costs. To this end, access should be provided to the installation of solar and wind energy systems.

It is not that the government needs to spend extra money to implement these measures but that a large number of these measures are already included in the annual budgets. In the case of Spain, the measures may be financed by the extraordinary funds for economic recovery already agreed by the European Council.

The Green New Deal is based on two essential pillars:

Greening recovery

The report takes a pragmatic approach in that it focuses primarily on how to "green" immediate recovery activities in specific economic areas, and how to support the creation of framework conditions that initiate a dynamic for green modernization and structural change. It also identifies key elements for the implementation of a Green New Deal.

Recommendations for policy changes

The report ends with a series of recommendations urging the European Union and its member states to focus their programs on investments that kick-start a green economy and provide sustainable ways out of the crisis.

If you want to learn more about the Green New Deal, we recommend Jeremy Rifkin's book The Green New Deal Global.

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