The Democratic Party has taken control of the US House of Representatives as a result of the 2018 election. This has resulted in a number of left of center policy proposals with regard to climate change and other economic policies. Perhaps the most prominent of these proposals is called the “Green New Deal” (GND). This has been endorsed by about 40 members of the new Congress and about 8 of the likely 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates. The GND includes a number of proposals including:

Eliminating nearly all fossil fuel use by 2030, requiring “upgrades” to every home and business building in the country, public transportation programs, creation of single-payer health care, a universal “basic income” program, a federal jobs guarantee, tax increases, and a carbon dioxide tax.

The GND is often attributed to Representative Ocasio-Cortez, but it appears to be largely based on a proposal by Canadian socialists called the Leap Manifesto prepared in the 2000s. Although the emphasis is on climate, there are a number of policy proposals contained in it that are not related to climate change. In the climate area, it would presumably result in the loss of all jobs related to fossil fuels by 2030.

Among the Manifesto’s “initiating organizations” are numerous far-left groups, such as Black Lives Matter–Toronto, Greenpeace Canada and Climate Justice. Socialist organizations endorsing the plan include ACORN, the International Socialists, Socialist Project, and the Socialist Caucus of Canada’s New Democratic Party.

Stricter Government Emission Regulations Is One of the Central Proposals of the Left wing of the Democratic Party

There can be little doubt that climate change reduction through ever stricter government regulations is one of the central proposals of the left wing of the Democratic Party. Could it be that climate change reduction fits in with the doctrines of democratic socialism? I wonder whether those supporting GND realize that they are supporting current doctrines of US democratic socialism? Do they realize that virtually every government program in the world to reduce emissions has failed and there is strong evidence that changes in CO 2 atmospheric levels have not had any significant effect on temperatures anyway?

Virtually every effort to reduce global warming and climate change have failed except free market approaches in the US. Presumably socialists are unlikely to try anything except increasing government regulations. And that indeed is what they propose. So the answer in their view is more of what has not worked.