Origins of the Green New Deal and What Happens Next

Political Climate sits down with Green New Deal architects Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Demond Drummer and Zack Exley for an in-depth interview on the sweeping—and evolving—plan.

Julia Pyper April 30, 2019

Julia Pyper

Senior Editor
Greentech Media

Julia Pyper is a Senior Editor at Greentech Media covering the energy transition. She is also the host and producer of the Political Climate podcast. She previously reported for E&E Publishing, and has covered clean energy and climate change issues across the U.S. and abroad, including in India, Haiti, Israel and the Maldives. She holds degrees from McGill and Columbia Universities. Find her on Twitter @JMPyper.

The Green New Deal is all over the news these days. But how did it get there?

Efforts to reform the U.S. economy in a more sustainable and equitable way didn't start with the introduction of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal resolution. And they certainly don't end there.

In this episode, Political Climate sits down with Green New Deal architects Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Demond Drummer and Zack Exley for an in-depth interview on the sweeping — and evolving — plan to address both climate change and economic inequality.

What can the climate and clean energy movement learn from the original New Deal and World War II mobilization? Is there a viable alternative to the neoliberal policy model? Can progressive Democrats ever work with Republicans? We discuss all of this and more in a candid conversation (begins at 21:00) with Gunn-Wright, Drummer and Exley, who currently lead the progressive policy shop New Consensus.

Plus, what does rapper and comedian Lil Dicky have in common with AOC? We kick off this episode with a look at two influential climate videos making their way around the internet.