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THE GOLDEN STATE.

DELIVERED.

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Photo: L.A. Times

WASHINGTON — Sen.

Bernie Sanders on Thurs-

day became the latest politi-

cian to announce an ambi-

tious plan to tackle a loom-

ing climate crisis under the

Green New Deal label.

The Vermont senator

and Democratic presi-

dential candidate unveiled

the $16-trillion proposal be-

fore visiting California,

where global warming has

the potential to fuel wild-

fires, heat spells, drought,

floods and rising ocean tem-

peratures.

The announcement

comes after Rep. Alexandria

Ocasio-Cortez introduced

her signature congressional

resolution of the same name

in February, Mayor Eric

Garcetti followed suit with

his own sweeping plan for

Los Angeles in April, and, as

the issue gained traction,

other Democratic presi-

dential candidates released

proposals.

Although the idea of a

Green New Deal and the

name itself had been circu-

lating for some time, Ocasio-

Cortez’s bold framework

garnered national attention

with its call for a sweeping

restructure of the U.S. econ-

omy to direct investment

into clean, renewable energy

and innovation in the fight

against climate change.

The movement, which

pushes for mobilization sim-

ilar to what was seen under

President Franklin D.

Roosevelt’s New Deal, has

since ushered in a wave of

support from Democratic

figures. Some environmen-

tal activists have specifically

called for climate change

policies to be made under

the Green New Deal label.

The Sierra Club, a lead-

ing environmental group,

describes a Green New Deal

as a “big, bold transforma-

tion of the economy to tackle

the twin crises of inequality

and climate change.”

The Sunrise Movement,

an advocacy group that

seeks to build support for

Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution,

believes the plan would

usher in changes to the econ-

omy and society “needed to

stop the climate crisis.”

Several candidates have

also rolled out their own am-

bitious climate change pro-

posals, although they

haven’t taken on the Green

New Deal slogan. Numerous

Democratic presidential

candidates have expressed

support of Ocasio-Cortez’s

resolution.

Some have also proposed

implementing the resolu-

tion or parts of it in their own

climate change plans, in-

cluding Beto O’Rourke and

Pete Buttigieg.

Here are highlights from

three plans that embrace

the name:

Sanders’ plan approaches

climate change as the big-

gest challenge — and op-

portunity — facing the

country.

Sanders would declare a

national emergency to

address global warming

under his 10-year plan, and

emphasize environmental

justice, which includes the

equal treatment and in-

volvement of people regard-

less of race, color, national

origin or income.

The proposal aims to

achieve 100% sustainable

energy for electricity and

transportation by 2030 and

to decarbonize the economy

by 2050.

Sanders predicted

Thursday that his plan

would end unemployment

by creating 20 million jobs.

Other highlights include:

8 Investments such as

$2.2 trillion on need-based

grants for families and

businesses to weatherize

homes and businesses; $2.

trillion to help people re-

place gasoline-fueled vehi-

cles with electric ones; $

billion to rebuild the U.S.

electricity grid; and $

billion to buy electric buses

for public use.

8 A $40-billion fund to

address climate effects in

“front-line communities,”

including communities of

color, Native Americans,

people with disabilities,

children and the elderly.

8 A reduction in U.S.

emissions by at least 71% by

2030.

8 A proposal to raise

funding with federal subsi-

dies cuts from the fossil-fuel

industry, force the industry

to pay for its pollution

through lawsuits and un-

specified taxes, and scale

back military spending that

maintains oil dependence.

The plan also notes that it

would generate income tax

revenue from new “green”

jobs and require wealthy

Americans and large corpo-

rations to “pay their fair

share.”

“We can sure as hell

transform our energy sys-

tem away from fossil fuels to

100% renewables today and

create millions of jobs in the

process,” Sanders said.

Garcetti’s plan targets car

culture, buildings and air

quality in America’s sec-

ond-largest city.

The mayor’s sustainabil-

ity plan calls climate change

an “existential threat” that

would require a reimagining

of life in Los Angeles. Ange-

lenos would need to drive far

less: from an average of 15

miles a day now to 13 miles

by 2025, and nine miles by

2035.

When they do get behind

the wheel, the plan calls for

80% of cars to run on elec-

tricity or zero-emission fuel

by 2035, and that residents

drive 2,000 fewer miles each

year. The city’s plan esti-

mates the targets would

create 400,000 “green jobs”

by 2050.

The plan calls for:

8 Establishing 28,

publicly available electric-

vehicle chargers by 2028 —

up from 2,100 today. The city

would streamline permit-

ting for chargers, expand

rebate programs and re-

quire more chargers in

building codes.

8 Ensuring all autono-

mous vehicles or self-driving

cars used for ride-sharing

services would be electric by

2021.

8 All new buildings being

“net-zero carbon” by 2030,

with all buildings using

zero-emission technologies

by 2050.

8 Transitioning the city

to 100% renewable energy by

2045.

8 Increasing the use of

local water resources, re-

ducing air pollution from

industrial facilities and the

port, and slashing emis-

sions from waste and the

food system.

“Los Angeles needs to

lead, but the whole world

needs to act. This plan gives

us a fighting chance,”

Garcetti told The Times.

“It’s sort of a ‘greenprint’ for

every other city in the coun-

try and the world, hope-

fully.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s resolution

says the federal govern-

ment has a “duty” to create

a Green New Deal.

House Resolution 109

was introduced with more

than 60 co-sponsors and is

nonbinding, meaning that if

it passes, nothing in the bill

would instantly create any

programs or laws.

Instead, it offers a frame-

work for how the U.S. should

tackle climate change.

For example, it asks the

U.S. to take responsibility

for its own greenhouse gas

emissions and acknowledge

that climate change is

tied to systemic injustices

that disproportionately

affect vulnerable communi-

ties.

“A new national, social,

industrial and economic

mobilization on a scale not

seen since World War II

and the New Deal era is a

historic opportunity,” it

says.

The proposal includes a

transition to 100% renew-

able energy, guarantees for

healthcare and living-wage

jobs, and the upgrading of

every U.S. building for ener-

gy efficiency.

The plan includes calls

for the U.S. to:

8 Work in collaboration

with vulnerable communi-

ties, labor groups, organiza-

tions and businesses.

8 Achieve net-zero green-

house gas emissions by 2050.

8 Carry out a 10-year

national mobilization initia-

tive that would invest in U.S.

infrastructure and move the

economy to more reliance

on renewable energy

sources.

8 Secure access to clean

air, food, water and energy

resources for future genera-

tions.

8 Provide resources such

as training and high-quality

education to U.S. residents,

with an emphasis on invest-

ing in historically margin-

alized communities.

“Small, incremental

policy solutions are not

enough,” Ocasio-Cortez

said at a news conference in

Washington this year. “This

is a major watershed mo-

ment.”

Times staff writers Michael

Finnegan, Sammy Roth and

Evan Halper contributed to

this report.

BACK STORY

Green New Deal bonanza

Sanders and other Democrats have plans. Here’s how they compare

By Alexa Díaz

REP.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other congressional Democrats

celebrate the release of a Green New Deal proposal in Washington in February.

Alex WongGetty Images

Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory coveted by the U.S. president, might be a vast resource of oil,

natural gas and rare-earth minerals just waiting to be tapped as the ice recedes. The northern island and

the rest of the Arctic aren’t just hotter due to global warming. As melting ice opens shipping lanes and

reveals buried natural treasures, the region is seen as a new geopolitical and economic asset, with the U.S.,

Russia, China and others wanting in. Above, a vessel navigates near icebergs off eastern Greenland.

1,000 WORDS: Greenland

Felipe DanaAssociated Press

WARMING UP TO THE ARCTIC