SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A protester is seen during a climate change demonstration holding a placard that says, 'There Is No Planet B.' (Photo by Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
'If Environment Were a Bank,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'It Would Have Been Saved Already'
Sanders has introduced a $16.3 trillion Green New Deal plan to avert climate catastrophe and create 20 million jobs in the process
Aug 30, 2019
The U.S. government took decisive action and spent trillions of dollars to bail out Wall Street banks in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, but it has refused to do the same to rescue the planet from climate catastrophe--a fact Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted in a pithy tweet on Friday.
"If the environment were a bank," wrote the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, "it would have been saved already."
\u201cIf the environment were a bank it would have been saved already.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1567172917
Estimates of the size of the Wall Street bailout vary widely. When Federal Reserve loans are included in the bailout figures, some estimates put the total number as high as $29 trillion.
Sanders' Green New Deal plan, which the senator released last week, would aim to invest $16.3 trillion in a decade-long effort to transition the U.S. economy to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million well-paying union jobs.
According to the Sanders campaign, the proposal would "pay for itself over 15 years" by hiking taxes on the rich and large corporations, slashing military spending, and boosting economic activity with massive public investment.
On top of the human costs of climate inaction, the economic toll would be "unacceptable," the Sanders campaign notes in its Green New Deal platform.
"Economists estimate that if we do not take action, we will lose $34.5 trillion in economic activity by the end of the century," the platform states. "And the benefits are enormous: by taking bold and decisive action, we will save $2.9 trillion over 10 years, $21 trillion over 30 years, and $70.4 trillion over 80 years."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The U.S. government took decisive action and spent trillions of dollars to bail out Wall Street banks in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, but it has refused to do the same to rescue the planet from climate catastrophe--a fact Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted in a pithy tweet on Friday.
"If the environment were a bank," wrote the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, "it would have been saved already."
\u201cIf the environment were a bank it would have been saved already.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1567172917
Estimates of the size of the Wall Street bailout vary widely. When Federal Reserve loans are included in the bailout figures, some estimates put the total number as high as $29 trillion.
Sanders' Green New Deal plan, which the senator released last week, would aim to invest $16.3 trillion in a decade-long effort to transition the U.S. economy to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million well-paying union jobs.
According to the Sanders campaign, the proposal would "pay for itself over 15 years" by hiking taxes on the rich and large corporations, slashing military spending, and boosting economic activity with massive public investment.
On top of the human costs of climate inaction, the economic toll would be "unacceptable," the Sanders campaign notes in its Green New Deal platform.
"Economists estimate that if we do not take action, we will lose $34.5 trillion in economic activity by the end of the century," the platform states. "And the benefits are enormous: by taking bold and decisive action, we will save $2.9 trillion over 10 years, $21 trillion over 30 years, and $70.4 trillion over 80 years."
The U.S. government took decisive action and spent trillions of dollars to bail out Wall Street banks in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, but it has refused to do the same to rescue the planet from climate catastrophe--a fact Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted in a pithy tweet on Friday.
"If the environment were a bank," wrote the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, "it would have been saved already."
\u201cIf the environment were a bank it would have been saved already.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1567172917
Estimates of the size of the Wall Street bailout vary widely. When Federal Reserve loans are included in the bailout figures, some estimates put the total number as high as $29 trillion.
Sanders' Green New Deal plan, which the senator released last week, would aim to invest $16.3 trillion in a decade-long effort to transition the U.S. economy to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million well-paying union jobs.
According to the Sanders campaign, the proposal would "pay for itself over 15 years" by hiking taxes on the rich and large corporations, slashing military spending, and boosting economic activity with massive public investment.
On top of the human costs of climate inaction, the economic toll would be "unacceptable," the Sanders campaign notes in its Green New Deal platform.
"Economists estimate that if we do not take action, we will lose $34.5 trillion in economic activity by the end of the century," the platform states. "And the benefits are enormous: by taking bold and decisive action, we will save $2.9 trillion over 10 years, $21 trillion over 30 years, and $70.4 trillion over 80 years."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.