AOC’s ‘Art of the Green New Deal:’ We Can Be Whatever We Have the Courage to See

OCASIO CORTEZ Ah the ░░░░░░░░ train from New York ░░░░░░░░ D C It always ░░░░░░░░ me back to when ░░░░░░░░ first started making this ░░░░░░░░ In 2019 I was ░░░░░░░░ freshman in the most ░░░░░░░░ Congress in history up ░░░░░░░░ that point It was ░░░░░░░░ critical time I ll ░░░░░░░░ forget the children in ░░░░░░░░ community They were so ░░░░░░░░ to see this new ░░░░░░░░ of politicians who reflected ░░░░░░░░ navigating the halls of ░░░░░░░░ It s often said ░░░░░░░░ can t be what ░░░░░░░░ can t see and ░░░░░░░░ the first time they ░░░░░░░░ themselves I think there ░░░░░░░░ something similar with the ░░░░░░░░ New Deal We knew ░░░░░░░░ we needed to save ░░░░░░░░ planet and that we ░░░░░░░░ all the technology to ░░░░░░░░ it but people were ░░░░░░░░ They said it was ░░░░░░░░ big too fast not ░░░░░░░░ I think that s ░░░░░░░░ they just couldn t ░░░░░░░░ it yet Anyways I ░░░░░░░░ getting ahead of myself ░░░░░░░░ s start with how ░░░░░░░░ got here 1977 New ░░░░░░░░ A senior scientist named ░░░░░░░░ Black made a presentation ░░░░░░░░ how burning fossil fuels ░░░░░░░░ eventually lead to global ░░░░░░░░ rising four or five ░░░░░░░░ Fahrenheit Within two years ░░░░░░░░ of the world s ░░░░░░░░ supertankers was outfitted with ░░░░░░░░ state of the art ░░░░░░░░ to measure CO2 in ░░░░░░░░ ocean gathering more data ░░░░░░░░ global warming Guess who ░░░░░░░░ doing all of this ░░░░░░░░ ExxonMobil the oil and ░░░░░░░░ company Oh yeah Exxon ░░░░░░░░ this whole time as ░░░░░░░░ our politicians Ten years ░░░░░░░░ James Hansen NASA s ░░░░░░░░ climate scientist told Congress ░░░░░░░░ was 99 percent certain ░░░░░░░░ global warming was happening ░░░░░░░░ caused by humans That ░░░░░░░░ 1988 the the year ░░░░░░░░ I was even born ░░░░░░░░ did Exxon listen to ░░░░░░░░ science including their own ░░░░░░░░ they change business models ░░░░░░░░ in renewables No the ░░░░░░░░ They knew and they ░░░░░░░░ down They and others ░░░░░░░░ millions setting up a ░░░░░░░░ of lobby groups and ░░░░░░░░ tanks to create doubt ░░░░░░░░ denial about climate change ░░░░░░░░ was an effort designed ░░░░░░░░ attack and dispute the ░░░░░░░░ kind of science they ░░░░░░░░ had been doing and ░░░░░░░░ worked Politicians went to ░░░░░░░░ for fossil fuels and ░░░░░░░░ massive corporations kept digging ░░░░░░░░ mining drilling and fracking ░░░░░░░░ there was no tomorrow ░░░░░░░░ became the biggest producer ░░░░░░░░ consumer of oil in ░░░░░░░░ world Fossil fuel companies ░░░░░░░░ hundreds of billions while ░░░░░░░░ public paid the lion ░░░░░░░░ share to clean up ░░░░░░░░ disasters We lost a ░░░░░░░░ of time we ll ░░░░░░░░ get back Entire species ░░░░░░░░ never get back Natural ░░░░░░░░ gone forever And in ░░░░░░░░ hurricane Maria destroyed the ░░░░░░░░ where my family was ░░░░░░░░ Puerto Rico It was ░░░░░░░░ a climate bomb It ░░░░░░░░ as many American lives ░░░░░░░░ 9 11 And in ░░░░░░░░ next year when I ░░░░░░░░ elected to Congress the ░░░░░░░░ s leading climate scientists ░░░░░░░░ another emergency They told ░░░░░░░░ that we had twelve ░░░░░░░░ left to cut our ░░░░░░░░ in half or hundreds ░░░░░░░░ millions of people will ░░░░░░░░ more likely to face ░░░░░░░░ and water shortages poverty ░░░░░░░░ death Twelve years to ░░░░░░░░ everything how we got ░░░░░░░░ how we fed ourselves ░░░░░░░░ we made our stuff ░░░░░░░░ we lived and worked ░░░░░░░░ The only way to ░░░░░░░░ it was to transform ░░░░░░░░ economy which we already ░░░░░░░░ was broken since the ░░░░░░░░ majority of wealth was ░░░░░░░░ to just a small ░░░░░░░░ of people and most ░░░░░░░░ were falling further and ░░░░░░░░ behind It was a ░░░░░░░░ turning point Lots of ░░░░░░░░ gave up They said ░░░░░░░░ were doomed But some ░░░░░░░░ us remembered that as ░░░░░░░░ nation we d been ░░░░░░░░ peril before The Great ░░░░░░░░ World War Two we ░░░░░░░░ from our history how ░░░░░░░░ pull together to overcome ░░░░░░░░ odds and at the ░░░░░░░░ least we owed it ░░░░░░░░ our children to try ░░░░░░░░ wave began when Democrats ░░░░░░░░ back the House in ░░░░░░░░ and then the Senate ░░░░░░░░ the White House in ░░░░░░░░ and launched the decade ░░░░░░░░ the Green New Deal ░░░░░░░░ flurry of legislation that ░░░░░░░░ off our social and ░░░░░░░░ transformation to save the ░░░░░░░░ It was the kind ░░░░░░░░ swing for the fence ░░░░░░░░ we needed Finally we ░░░░░░░░ entertaining solutions on the ░░░░░░░░ of the crises we ░░░░░░░░ without leaving anyone behind ░░░░░░░░ included Medicare for All ░░░░░░░░ most popular social program ░░░░░░░░ American history We also ░░░░░░░░ the federal jobs guarantee ░░░░░░░░ public option including dignified ░░░░░░░░ wages for work Funnily ░░░░░░░░ the biggest problem in ░░░░░░░░ early years was a ░░░░░░░░ shortage We were building ░░░░░░░░ national smart grid retrofitting ░░░░░░░░ building in America putting ░░░░░░░░ like this one all ░░░░░░░░ the country We needed ░░░░░░░░ workers That group of ░░░░░░░░ from my neighborhood were ░░░░░░░░ in the middle of ░░░░░░░░ all especially this one ░░░░░░░░ Ileana Her first job ░░░░░░░░ of college was with ░░░░░░░░ Climate restoring wetlands and ░░░░░░░░ in coastal Louisiana Most ░░░░░░░░ her friends were in ░░░░░░░░ union including some oil ░░░░░░░░ in transition They took ░░░░░░░░ old pipelines and got ░░░░░░░░ work planting mangroves with ░░░░░░░░ same salary and benefits ░░░░░░░░ course when it came ░░░░░░░░ healing the land we ░░░░░░░░ huge gaps in our ░░░░░░░░ Luckily indigenous communities offered ░░░░░░░░ expertise to help guide ░░░░░░░░ way Ileana got restless ░░░░░░░░ her hand as a ░░░░░░░░ plant engineer for a ░░░░░░░░ but eventually made her ░░░░░░░░ in raising the next ░░░░░░░░ as part of the ░░░░░░░░ child care initiative As ░░░░░░░░ turns out caring for ░░░░░░░░ is valuable low carbon ░░░░░░░░ and we started paying ░░░░░░░░ money to folks like ░░░░░░░░ domestic workers and home ░░░░░░░░ aides Those were years ░░░░░░░░ massive change and not ░░░░░░░░ of it was good ░░░░░░░░ hurricane Sheldon hit southern ░░░░░░░░ parts of Miami went ░░░░░░░░ for the last time ░░░░░░░░ as we battled the ░░░░░░░░ fires and droughts we ░░░░░░░░ how lucky we were ░░░░░░░░ have started acting when ░░░░░░░░ did And we didn ░░░░░░░░ just change the infrastructure ░░░░░░░░ changed how we did ░░░░░░░░ We became a society ░░░░░░░░ was not only modern ░░░░░░░░ wealthy but dignified and ░░░░░░░░ too By committing to ░░░░░░░░ rights like health care ░░░░░░░░ meaningful work for all ░░░░░░░░ stopped being so scared ░░░░░░░░ the future We stopped ░░░░░░░░ scared of each other ░░░░░░░░ we found our shared ░░░░░░░░ Ileana heard the call ░░░░░░░░ and in 2028 she ░░░░░░░░ for office in the ░░░░░░░░ cycle of publicly funded ░░░░░░░░ campaigns and now she ░░░░░░░░ the seat that I ░░░░░░░░ held I couldn t ░░░░░░░░ more proud of her ░░░░░░░░ true child of the ░░░░░░░░ New Deal When I ░░░░░░░░ back to my first ░░░░░░░░ in Congress riding that ░░░░░░░░ school Amtrak in 2019 ░░░░░░░░ of this was still ░░░░░░░░ of us And the ░░░░░░░░ big step was just ░░░░░░░░ our eyes and imagining ░░░░░░░░ We can be whatever ░░░░░░░░ have the courage to ░░░░░░░░