Green New Deal

Back to stories hub

Human activity is causing disastrous climate disruption and Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, triggering critical losses of biodiversity. But this crisis exceeds ecological collapse. Deepening inequality, retrenchment into fascism, precarious employment, racial violence, and a resilient military industrial complex make it difficult to find a way out of these growing disasters. The answer will be more than just technocratic tinkering - it will demand a Green New Deal.

Democracy, Like Flowers: A Reflection on Organizing Mutual Aid in Western NC

North Carolina chapters of the DSA are currently organizing mutual aide relief to address the impact of Hurricane Helene. Here is one NC member's reflection.

Into the Fire: Organizing Against Extreme Heat

As global temperatures rise, workers are making workplace safety and protections a new focus for labor. Farm workers, garment manufacturers, and delivery drivers have all found climate issues to organize around.

Pepco tries to hide rate hikes behind climate readiness

Why is the District government allowing a monopoly to regulate itself?

More than 'Finding The Money': MMT, Political Strategy, and the State

A new documentary provides a strong impression of modern monetary theory, but socialist viewers should pay attention to the concept's strategic horizons.

New report: What is social housing and why is grassroots support growing?

A new report document the movement for social housing, a decommodified housing model, taking shape across the United States.

DC fails to protect its children

David Schwartzman

Unaddressed income and wealth inequality has produced staggering child poverty in the City, with low income support for Black and brown families plus additional assault from toxic lead exposure.

The State of Public Power in 2023

Claire M, Advait A, Tom M

As the DSA continues its fight to realize the Green New Deal, we have much to learn from both the wins and the setbacks the fight for public power has sustained this year.

DC should municipalize its energy utility and embrace public power

Midsummer Edition

A multinational corporation owns and operates DC's electrical utilities at the expense of the public good. There is an alternative to this exploitative arrangement.

Building the just transition

Tensions between building trades unions and environmental groups have existed for so long that they seem inescapable, yet both groups share the same objective – a livable future for people and the planet.

Decarbonizing DC will be dirty work

Compliance fines and renewable energy credits are not encouraging energy providers to decarbonize DC's power grid. The District should directly finance renewable expansion and confront the dirty work head-on.

Build highways or fight climate change? Biden Administration can't have both

The ink from President Biden’s signature on “The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” was hardly dry when his underlings began to undercut the most critical parts of the legislation.

Food waste, hunger, and the compulsion of wagedom

Ryan Cudemus-Brunoli

Without a guarantee of healthful food to all, we will be unable to move forward or effectively organize any form of alternative to capitalism.

Book Review: Tom Standage's 'A Brief History of Motion'

An inventive new book uses a technology lens to show how the automobile took over culture, with capitalism guiding events at every turn

Winning a Green New Deal for Public Schools

Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s HR4442 is designed to return schools to their place as centers of community. If socialists act fast, we can make it a reality.

Update: Freeway Removal Funding Gutted in Senate Infrastructure Bill

A brief update (and appeal to action) on the infrastructure bill making its way through Congress.

A Brief Recap of the Fight Against Line 3

The struggle against Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline so far.

DSA launches the Green New Deal for Public Schools campaign

National DSA has kicked off the next phase of its Green New Deal campaign, encompassing labor and the PRO Act but moving into the highly unionized public school system.

Tearing down the highways

In a post-carbon future, will urban expressways wither away and revert to urban space?

Socialism, Road Repair and Climate Change: More Thoughts on Biden's Infrastructure Plan

A marxist analysis of Biden's signature infrastructure bill.

On Climate, Biden Falls Far Short

Biden's infrastructure plan is a fair start, but in no way broaches the scale of investment needed to seriously address the climate crisis.

Book Review: Kim Stanley Robinson's 'The Ministry for the Future'

David Schwartzman

For the eco-socialist left, Robinson's new sci-fi thriller should be seen as a great resource for inspiration and provocation

Two Cheers for MMT

Modern monetary theory: what it is, where it comes from, who supports it, and how to separate the economic theory from political rhetoric.

A Left That Matters?

David Schwartzman

Should the DSA carry-forward its electoral strategy through the Democratic Party? An ecosocialist response.

Democracy and Microgrids

Democratizing the energy grid is one way to limit fallout from climate change while bringing us closer to a socialist future.

Kim Stanley Robinson’s “structure of feeling” that might save the planet

Kim Stanley Robinson's latest novel not only has the juice of a good sci-fi narrative, but provides strong insight into how an international plan for reversing climate change might be structured.

The Global Commons and Solar Energy: A Review of David Schwartzman’s New Book

A review of David Schwartzman's new book, which imagines the possibility of a green future within the context of class struggle and socialism.

Arctic Heat Melts Our Future

As the world beings to realize more dramatic accelerants to climate change, the need for global mobilization becomes more urgent than ever.

Leaders At All Levels Must Rise Up to their Climate Promises

Danielle Meitiv

These opening remarks were delivered to Sept. 15th’s Climate Emergency Town Hall in Montgomery County’s Silver Spring Civic Center.

A Green New Deal for DC

David Schwartzman

All of these Green New Deal goals will need a broad bottom-up mobilization of the residents most impacted, DC’s working class along with their allies, and must be planned and implemented by the same.

The Tidal Basin Diaries

For ecosocialists and mainstream environmentalists anxious to rally support for a Green New Deal, we'll have to take the task of educating voters into our own hands.

For DC Ecosocialists, Threats to Cherry Trees Could Support ‘Crossover’ Climate Activism

DSA climate activists might conceivably play an important role in saving the Tidal Basin that could win grudging support from a host of different local and national organizations.

The Labor, Health and Cultural Costs Of ‘McWorld’ Hamburger Hegemony

In Marxist terms, McDonald’s and its fast-food rivals have made their industry into a corporate “hegemon” – economically, culturally and politically.

Another World is Still Possible

Socialist or Marxist political economy is necessary but not sufficient in itself to advance a vision of 21st Century socialism.

How Capitalist Agribusiness Enables Climate Crisis

Don’t look now, but what we all buy and consume in the way of food – combined with how corporate agribusiness shapes how most people eat – is helping to create climate catastrophe.

Multistate decarbonization compact offers window for ecosocialist activism

Environmental activism has been hampered by political boundaries in the DMV. A singular, multi-state public initiative could allow DMV socialists to engage in cross-jurisdictional ecosocialist work.

Green New Deal Fight: A Short-Term Loss But Gains for Ocasio-Cortez & Allies

Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal provides an opportunity for socialists to gain new credibility with a wide range of climate activists.

IPCC rings alarm bells on climate

At least in the near to mid-term future, even green socialists need to hope that “green” capitalist corporations make advances in the development of revolutionizing the capitalist energy sector away from reliance on fossil fuels.

Addressing climate change needs a short-term plan and a global one

To meet the danger of climate change, developed nations will need to organize a new global Marshall Plan with representatives from developing countries.

Rooting labor action on climate change in the revolutionary struggle against alienation

As a whole, the labor movement has not committed itself to ending greenhouse gas emissions that most scientists believe are likely to produce climate catastrophe by the end of this century.

How Marxist economic theory can contribute to understanding environmental crisis

A Marxist approach to capitalist environmental crisis important both to our organization and the wider radical left.

The Potential Impact of Energy Micro Grids

Dan Adkins updates the development of micro-grids, independent energy sources that can deal big corporate power companies out of their dominion over power and prices.

Marx Probably Can't Help Us Understand the Climate Crisis

A member of the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Committee, expresses skepticism that attempts to relate classical Marxism -- and classic Marx -- to today's climate concerns will not be analytically useful and overlooks the role of population in the crisis.

National Parks Under Siege

National parks are under severe threat from the extraction-first mania of the Trump administration. Andy Feeney contextualizes this latest barbarism.

From the Abused Heart of Coal Country

Lucy Duff explores the devastation to the environment, communities and workers of mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia.

Pushback comes quickly to Trump's exit from Paris climate accord

Every level of economic and political society in the US -- except the GOP's federal monopoly -- expressed immediate and constructive pushback to Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.

DSA panel offers participants alternate paths to a Green Economy

A lengthy recollection of DSA's engagement in the People's Climate March - and the panel we hosted before it.

Carbon fees/taxes debated in Metro DC climate committee

Carbon taxes are not every environmentalist's cuppa tea.

Transit as a core of community success

Transportation advocacy is key for introducing localities to the need for strong climate policy.

Ticks, mosquitoes & vector-borne disease: a new focus for Eco-Justice organizing?

The galloping threat of vector-borne diseases that comes with warmer weather farther north in the US may offer organizing opportunities for ecosocialists.

UBI gains interest as "the end of work" approaches

Interest in a universal basic income (UBI) appears to be rising alongside a widespread sense that we are nearing the end of work. Two examples show what this sort of plan might look like.

Trump behaves (surprise!) like a capitalist. So did Obama

Trump's taking of the White House offered the possibility of shattering liberals' illusions of the neutrality of the state

Interstate Sound Barriers can provide PV Solar to Metrorail

The sun and wind are public resources and will bring in a new era of regionally based power. By directly tying them into local governments and organizations we can be sure that they serve the public.

Suicide by Climate

There are impressive coalitions of climate activist groups forming, both at the local level and nationally to contest Trump's suicidal climate agenda.

Legislative process: a model of capitalist distraction

The big problems that plague our society can only be solved with an effort that matches the size of their danger.

Notes: local activists rally for ecosocialism

Notes on local ecosocialist mobilization efforts.

Climate Change is not a business opportunity

Rex Tillerson made his fortune slow-roasting the planet with full knowledge of the consequences.