Jay Inslee, the little-known Democratic governor of Washington state and presidential candidate, just unveiled the ambitious second phase of his own climate plan, which he calls the Evergreen Economy Plan. It outlines a $9 trillion investment over 10 years and seeks to create 8 million jobs aimed at decarbonizing the economy, all while "closing the gap in wealth and prosperity, and empowering workers of all races and genders."

The ambitious 38 page proposal did not come out of nowhere: as one commentator put it, it has "the Green New Deal and the grassroots energy behind it [which has] ensured that every one of the Democrats running for president will be forced to prioritize climate change."

The Green New Deal received widespread approval when it was introduced in February this year by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It calls on the US to radically cut carbon emissions from electricity generation, transport and agriculture in the next 10 years, broadly in line with scientific warnings on how we can mitigate the worst of climate change.

The deal aims to get to net zero greenhouse gases while also creating millions of jobs, including a “greenhouse gas-free food system,” according to an FAQ released by Ocasio-Cortez to the media. Some critics say the deal was vague, but its aim was to start a conversation.

It calls for policies to “eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector,” and proposes we do this by supporting family farming, investing in sustainable farming and land-use practices that increase soil health, and building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food. The FAQ also jokingly said, “We aren’t sure we can get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast”. This caused some critics to distil the conversation around the deal down to radical socialism that will eliminate hamburgers.

While the Senate voted the resolution down in March, Ocasio-Cortez is still focused on drafting related bills — and she’s enjoying a fair amount of support with it. Whether that or a plan inspired by it such as Inslee’s becomes mainstream, we should make sure some priorities don’t end up getting forgotten.

Meghan McCain tries to burn Washington governor Jay Inslee on Green New Deal

Agriculture and meat consumption in the US are a huge contributor to greenhouse gases, and any future iteration of the Green New Deal or an Evergreen Economy Plan must focus on eliminating factory farming and dramatically decreasing meat and dairy consumption.

According to data from the World Resources Institute, the US is the second largest contributor to emissions behind China, and its agriculture sector currently makes up 9 per cent of these emissions. But it’s more complex than just “farting cows”. The US’s factory farming industry also uses vast quantities of land and water, and is responsible for slaughtering more than nine billion land animals every year – not to mention contributing to antibiotic resistance.

There seems to be growing political appetite to replace factory farms and agribusiness with small farms. Bernie Sanders tweeted that, “Factory farms are responsible for 1.4 trillion pounds of animal waste in America. They are a threat to the water we drink and the air we breathe, and it is unbelievable to me that Republicans in Congress have been working overtime to exempt factory farms from environmental laws.”

Similarly, Elizabeth Warren wrote in a Medium post that, “Bad decisions in Washington have consistently favored the interests of multinational corporations and big business lobbyists over the interests of family farmers… Federal regulators have allowed multinational companies to crush competition and seize control over key markets. Over the last few decades, giant agribusinesses have grown bigger and bigger.”

The monopolies in the meat and poultry industries, which are dominated by just a few companies, leave many farmers living below or near the poverty line. They’re often incentivized to overproduce cheap food, which is a huge contributor to the country’s food waste and emissions and has led to record-high stockpiles of unsold meat and cheese.

We must also swap our meat- and dairy-based diet for plant-based food, according to the EAT-Lancet Commission, by continuing to innovate and offer healthy and affordable plant-based alternatives. Ocasio-Cortez said on Showtime’s Desus & Mero show about the GND, “It’s not to say we’re gonna force everybody to go vegan or anything crazy like that…[but] maybe we shouldn’t be eating a hamburger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” That’s the correct sentiment to have.

In recent years the demand for plant-based alternatives has soared, and the market is projected to grow to $5bn a year by 2020. But getting people to eat less meat is a slow and gradual process. Another way to reduce our factory-farmed meat intake is the nascent cell-based meat industry, which involves scientists growing meat using animal stem cells to create meat that is identical to meat from otherwise slaughtered animals.

According to one study, cell-based meat is expected to generate 96 per cent less greenhouse emissions, and use 99 per cent less land and up to 96 per cent less water than conventional meat. It isn’t yet on the market, but many companies predict it will only be a few years before it is properly regulated and affordable.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Climate change is a complex problem that requires a number of solutions, but ultimately, there has been an increasing recognition in recent years that we need a major reduction in livestock production to spearhead our efforts to slow it. Ultimately, we must free up farmers to produce food in sustainable ways that help support localized and climate-resilient food systems, and fairly compensate them for doing so. That — more than anything else AOC or Jay Inslee can suggest, and no matter which party you vote for — would help our country, our planet and our people.