Several high-profile Democrats who back the so-called Green New Deal are now apparently supporting a new report calling for a dramatic reduction in the world’s population to stave off a climate crisis.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey retweeted links to a report signed by more than 11,000 scientists who argue that the population “must be stabilized—and, ideally, gradually reduced—within a framework that ensures social integrity.”
The report, published Tuesday in the journal BioScience, also calls for the wholesale dumping of fossil fuels and the emergence of green energy. They call for a “bold and drastic” change in economic growth to slash greenhouse gas emissions, which research shows contributes to climate change.
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, backed the report on Twitter, telling her followers in a Nov. 5 tweet that “tweaks and shortcuts” won’t be enough to save the planet. The U.S. must engage in “[m]assive, systemic change is in alignment with scientific consensus,” she said.
The New York lawmaker retweeted a tweet from The Huffington Post that discusses the report’s details. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief Of Staff Admits What The Green New Deal Is Really About — And It’s Not The Climate)
When it comes to the climate crisis, tweaks and shortcuts aren’t enough to preserve our planet.
Massive, systemic change is in alignment with scientific consensus.
We need #GreenNewDeal. https://t.co/mNSUmGeC3X
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 5, 2019
Markey made similar comments. “11,258 scientists are sounding the alarm: we are in a climate emergency. And not just climate scientists. Biologists, ecologists, & more,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a Nov. 6 tweet.
“The crisis touches every aspect of our lives. So must the solution. That’s why we need a #GreenNewDeal to fundamentally transform our society,” Markey added. He included in his tweet a link to a Washington Post report highlighting the nuts and bolts of the report.
11,258 scientists are sounding the alarm: we are in a climate emergency. And not just climate scientists. Biologists, ecologists, & more. The crisis touches every aspect of our lives. So must the solution. That’s why we need a #GreenNewDeal to fundamentally transform our society. https://t.co/FpvEXajZdK
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 6, 2019
Markey and Ocasio-Cortez introduced the GND in February, which calls for a “10-year national mobilizations” toward a series of goals designed to tackled global warming.
The GND calls for the country to become carbon neutral within 10 years and seeks to aggressively reduce emissions. Other Democrats are also supporting the general thrust of Tuesday’s report.
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 07: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Billionaire Tom Steyer also expressed his support. “The world must wake up. We can’t sweep climate change under the rug any longer,” Steyer said in a Wednesday tweet that also linked to WaPo’s report.
World data consistently show that climate change is the least of most people’s concerns. Citizens generally are more concerned about getting a good education, obtaining better healthcare, and achieving political freedoms than they are tackling climate change, according to a 2015 survey from the United Nations.
Neither Ocasio-Cortez, nor Markey or Steyer responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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