An Irish ‘Green New Deal’ needs common sense and robust debate

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An Irish 'Green New Deal' needs common sense and robust debate

The idea of restructuring an economy with the aim of developing a more environmentally-friendly society isn't new, but is doable in Ireland, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.The idea of restructuring an economy with the aim of developing a more environmentally friendly society isn't new, but is doable in Ireland, according to Kyran FitzgeraldLast week, a conference was held under the auspices of economic think-tank the Nevin Economic Research Institute (Neri), to consider the idea of an Irish 'Green New Deal'.

The Green New Deal is a concept that was developed just over a decade ago by left-leaning thinkers such as Ann Pettifor, a British economist who made her name as a proponent of third world debt write-offs.The Green New Deal draws inspiration from Franklyn Delano Roosevelt's US New Deal of the 1930s. The core idea is that our economy and society will have to be restructured so that the worst impacts of the gathering climate and broader environmental crisis can be dealt with in the context of a wider broader reorganisation of society.A group of left-leaning Democratic politicians in the US, led by high-profile Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Senator Ed Markey began pushing the idea of a US Green New Deal around two years ago. Since then, the project has gathered momentum - and some criticism, much of it from the producer lobby and their political friends.At last Friday's Neri conference, the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, - or ICTU - Patricia King, endorsed the idea. The ICTU is backing a 'Just Transition' plan aimed at ensuring that workers displaced by measures aimed at curbing carbon emissions are put in a position through reskilling where they can secure alternative h

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