Beitsch, R. (2020, August 06). Harris, Ocasio-Cortez push climate equity bill with Green New Deal roots. Retrieved August 27, 2020, from https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/510920-harris-aoc-push-climate-equity-bill-with-green-new-deal-roots

 

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced an environmental justice bill into congress in an attempt to lessen the impact of climate change on minority and poor communities. The bill seeks to assign an equity score to each act of Congress, as well as actions taken by the White House and executive branch agencies based on their impact on “front-line” communities. It is a part of the Green New Deal, the large reformation plan designed to increase jobs, equity, and renewable energy usage. Specifically, it focuses on the third pillar, making sure no community is left behind. 

 

The actions taken by two of the most prominent members of Congress, including one who is the Vice Presidential Nominee for the Democratic Party literally addressing environmental justice, an aspect of environmental science excites me as it shows a more forceful commitment to environmental justice than we would’ve previously seen from a major political party. The commitment to the Green New Deal more broadly as indicated by the introduction of one of its core tenets is particularly important as it shows how politicians are working to make America achieve a sustainable future. It demonstrates how work is being done to mitigate the effects of climate change and more specifically discrepancies in the effect of ecological destruction disproportionately on disadvantaged populations that are unable to defend themselves from a multitude of environmental challenges. The bill’s function of assigning equity scores to legislation and executive action is representative of how environmental science is being used to study the effects of climate change and incredibly beneficial to the government as they will be able to make informed decisions on how their taking action will affect their constituents and the underprivileged so they may work to ensuring a more prosperous future for all citizens equally.