Elizabeth Warren called Tuesday called for a “Blue New Deal” to supplement the “Green New Deal”
Warren tweeted “We need a #GreenNewDeal to fight the climate crisis—and we need a #BlueNewDeal to protect and restore our oceans so they are a part of our climate solution, and so we can rebuild our blue economy”
We need a #GreenNewDeal to fight the climate crisis—and we need a #BlueNewDeal to protect and restore our oceans so they are a part of our climate solution, and so we can rebuild our blue economy. Read my plan for a #BlueNewDeal: https://t.co/hsvothNFFK
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) December 10, 2019
Warren writes on her website:
In September, I attended a CNN town hall on the climate crisis. That night, Bren Smith, an ocean farmer from Connecticut, asked me if I would support a Blue New Deal to restore our oceans, in addition to our efforts to fight climate change on land. I said I would, and I meant it – here’s what I’ll do to rebuild our blue economy, protect and restore ocean habitat, and adapt in a climate changed world.
The world’s oceans are in crisis. Across the planet, more than 90% of global fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished. The ocean has absorbed 93% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, warming the waters disrupting migration patterns, bleaching coral reefs, and fueling sea level rise. Around 30% of the carbon pollution we have pumped into the air has been absorbed in our oceans, leading to ocean acidification, changing the very chemistry of seawater. And pollution from land – whether from manufacturing, agricultural runoff, or plastic waste – is causing dead zones in our waterways and Great Lakes.
Our coasts are flooding and eroding, threatening the 40% of Americans who live in coastal counties. Our safety, public health, food security, and infrastructure are at risk. If we do not act now, things will only get worse, as climate change leads to more severe weather.
I am proud to be one of the original co-sponsors of the Green New Deal, which charts a path to transition to a 100% clean energy future, while rebuilding our economy from the bottom up and creating millions of good paying, union jobs. Environmental justice and economic justice go hand-in-hand, and I am committed to making the climate crisis and the inequality crisis top priorities in my administration.
As we pursue climate justice, we must not lose sight of the 71% of our planet covered by the ocean. While the ocean is severely threatened, it can also be a major part of the climate solution – from providing new sources of clean energy to supporting a new future of ocean farming. That is why I believe that a Blue New Deal must be an essential part of any Green New Deal – helping us fight climate change, protecting our health, and creating good, high-wage union jobs in the process.
Read more here.