The idea of a Green New Deal was launched into popular consciousness by US Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018 as a way to fight climate change and address wealth inequality. It has become a watchword in the current era of global climate crisis.
But what, and for whom, is the Green New Deal? And when can we expect the US government, and other governments to commit themselves to facing what is clearly a planet-wide danger?
In this concise and urgent book, Max Ajl provides an overview of the various mainstream Green New Deals. Critically engaging with their proponents, ideological underpinnings and limitations, he goes on to sketch out a radical alternative: a “People’s Green New Deal” committed to decommodification, working-class power, anti-imperialism and agro-ecology.