About the New Green Deal

'If you don't like the #GreenNewDeal, then come up with your own ambitious, on-scale proposal to address the global climate crisis. Until then, we're in charge—and you're just shouting from the cheap seats.'  - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The Green New Deal is not a proposal. It's a wish list and issuing it doesn't put AOC in charge any more than a kid making out a list for Santa. The GND doesn't even have the level of detail that the now-retracted FAQ had and it barely scratched the surface. Here's a few questions to be answered before AOC gets to be in charge:

What do you envision for the electrical grid? If it's a mix of wind and solar then how will you store energy during the day for use at night? How will you cope with fluctuations in the wind? In February the wind died in Minnesota during a Polar Vortex. Do you anticipate allowing gas-fired generators for emergencies such as this or do you intend to build enough surplus generation elsewhere along with additional transmission lines or do you expect people to shiver in the cold until the wind starts again?

Under current laws and regulations, it will take most of the ten years you envision to implement your plan just to do environmental impact studies and acquire right-of-way. Do you intend to give the federal government unlimited control to seize property and ignore environmental concerns?

Exactly what are you planning for transportation? Airplanes are a major source of CO2 so becoming carbon-neutral has to include major cutbacks on flights. How will it be decided which flights are still allowable? What about cars? Will you simply outlaw internal combustion passenger cars and expect people to replace them with electrical vehicles? Do you envision a one-for-one replacement or will the number of vehicles be drastically reduced? If so then how will people move from place to place?

What are your plans for trucks and farm tractors? There are currently no electrical replacements for these. Similarly, current technology cannot replace container ships with electrical ones. Do you intend for us to return to the days of the clipper ship?

How do you expect to pay for the GND? Estimates have put it above $90 trillion. That's literally more than all the money in the world. The CIA estimates that the world gold reserves are $8 trillion and the world currencies amount to $80 trillion. What do you expect the effects on the world currencies will be if the US doubles it, all by ourselves?

Do you anticipate needing changes to the Constitution in order to implement the GND? If so, then what do you propose?

Given the magnitude of the unanswered issues above, you are not the boss, you are just a kid with a list for Santa.