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By James Healy

Imagine being born into a crisis whose progression you had absolutely no control over, where those responsible for the crisis’s escalation are unfazed by their past actions, and are not only indifferent, but in some cases, opposed to finding a solution. This is the position which millennials and Generation Z young people find themselves in when it comes to the crisis of climate change.

A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlined the disastrous effects of the world warming above three degrees to four degrees Fahrenheit. By limiting warming to three degrees and avoiding four, the prospects for the world, the United States and Somerville look much more favorable in the context of extreme heat, sea level rise, the viability of global fisheries and preventing the near extinction of coral reefs.

With this sentiment in mind, on Friday, March 15th, hundreds of adolescents left school and protested outside of the Massachusetts State House to demand for lawmakers to get serious about climate change. The teens stood with a staggering one and a half million protesters worldwide, most of whom were young people, to urge legislators to solve our climate crisis with bold, ambitious legislation to curb warming to three degrees.

In the U.S. such legislation has been proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, known as the Green New Deal. The non-binding resolution set out a transformative vision to decarbonize the country in twelve years. The legislation aimed to increase our current renewable energy production from twenty to one hundred per cent, to future proof the county’s infrastructure from “smart power grids” to high speed rail, and to provide nationwide retrofits on all buildings. A decarbonization process which would be crucial to preventing a four-degree rise in global warming.

The scientific consensus held little to no weight with republicans and some democrats. After skepticism was voiced from Democratic leadership like Nancy Pelosi who condescendingly referred to it as “the Green New Dream,” and Senator Diane Feinstein’s viral dismissal of young advocates from the Sunrise Movement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the legislation to the senate floor aiming to divide Democratic senators. The legislation failed to pass, with the majority of Democrats voting present. Though, with most high profile Democratic presidential hopefuls making the Green New Deal a legislative priority the legislation is very much alive.

A Green New Deal for the U.S. would mean a Green New Deal for Somerville and that is a truly exciting prospect. The millions of jobs nationwide which a Green New Deal would bring about would greatly benefit Massachusetts, and in turn, the local Somerville economy. Complete retrofits on all homes and businesses in Somerville would provide an increase in local construction jobs, with improved insulation reducing home energy costs. While the complete electrification of homes would also prevent another disaster similar to the Merrimack Valley gas explosion from taking place. The electrification of all vehicles would significantly, if not entirely, reduce local rises in air pollution which currently hinder Somerville residents during peak traffic congestion. And, not to mention, the governmental and economic stability which averting a four-degree rise in temperature would bring about. A Green New Deal is therefore an imperative to local and international prosperity.

As the young people lead Sunrise Movement kicks off their Green New Deal Tour in Boston on April the 18th, it is clear that the success of the Green New Deal will also constitute the success of future generations in Somerville, the U.S. and the world for years to come.