history of the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal was imagined by a group of economists who, when the world was still reeling from the financial crisis of 2008, wanted a new model for an economy that works for people and planet.
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The idea stems from Roosevelt - America's president at the time of the Great Depression. Roosevelt came up with the idea of the 'New Deal' - a huge programme of economic investment, financial reforms and regulations which spurred the building of new infrastructure, created welfare support and created thousands of jobs through public works programmes. The New Deal was not without its issues though, and it cemented and perpetuated racist, segregated structures of the US South (you can read more in this piece).
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This ambitious group of economists, politicians and campaigners, amidst the ongoing shock of the 2008 financial crisis, put forward a plan for 'joined-up policies to solve the triple crunch of the credit crisis, climate change and high oil prices'.
In 2018, the US politician, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a version of this Green New Deal and catapulted it into the global political sphere. The Sunrise Movement campaigned hard for the policy's implementation and captured much attention in the states and beyond. Whilst this campaigning did not succeed in changing US policy at the time, it is arguably a strong influence behind Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and campaigning continues in the states.
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On the back of this success, many Green New Deal movements popped up in the UK, including Green New Deal UK, Green New Deal Rising and Labour for a Green New Deal.
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The Green New Deal Group, which represents those original architects still exists (Ann Pettifor published 'The Case for the Green New Deal' which is well worth a read) and campaigns in various ways.
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The movement is gaining popularity in the UK and beyond - it was voted in twice at two Labour party conferences and Labour has shadow Green New Deal minister.
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Several have noticed the popularity of the concept and used similar language, such as the EU Green Deal, but the core Green New Deal principles are missing from such ideas.
Who's behind the Green New Deal?
