Earth scientist Rob Jackson said in an interview that aired Tuesday on "Rising" that a Green New Deal could help the U.S. be more competitive with China and other countries in the renewable energy sector.

"We do need new policies, and there are just good reasons for this kind of new deal," Jackson, who works at Stanford University, told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball.

"Let's take China," he said. "Everybody's worried about our competition with China. China is beating us in renewables. They have announced their investments of $400 billion over the next couple of years in renewables."

"They out-built us in wind and solar. They deployed five times more solar than we did in the last year, three times more wind. They are all in on renewables," he said.

"So exactly the policy details, that's for Washington to work out, but there are strong reasons to support really, really large investments in green technologies and green energy. Other countries are doing this already," he said.

The Green New Deal has been championed by liberal leaders such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-CortezWhy Democrats must confront extreme left wing incitement to violence The Hill Interview: Jerry Brown on climate disasters, COVID-19 and Biden's 'Rooseveltian moment' House Democrats postpone vote on marijuana decriminalization bill MORE (D-N.Y.) as a comprehensive approach to combatting climate change.

The progressive climate plan calls for massive investments in renewable energy jobs and a shift in energy dependence away from fossil fuels.

— Julia Manchester