For years, when the climate movement called for “connecting the dots,” they meant linking extreme weather to the broader story of human-caused climate breakdown. In the age of the Green New Deal, our job is to connect the dots in a different way: between the climate crisis and the crises of economic and racial inequality that afflict us every day. And we have an opportunity to get concrete – literally – by showing precisely how targeted green investment in racialized and working-class communities can slash carbon emissions.
One truly radical and intersectional approach? Tackle the United States’ housing and climate crises at the same time – with a Green New Deal for housing.
Of course, the centrist climate wonks hate how expansive the Green New Deal idea is. They think every piece of its social policy is an expensive distraction. But they forgot to follow the carbon beyond their tidy little graphs. In the real world, you can’t separate the carbon causing the climate emergency from our physical and economic systems, any more than you can separate windows, furnaces, and air conditioners from your monthly rent bill. And you can’t separate voters’ – and political organizers’ – desires for a safe and affordable home from their commitment to a stable climate.
In aggregate, the United States’ 138m housing units cause over 15% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than all commercial buildings combined. Housing inequality is also the biggest driver of the country’s horrifying wealth gap, with the median black family owning just $11,000, compared to the median white family owning over $135,000. And housing costs are destroying Americans’ budgets. Nearly 20m households spend over half their income on rent or mortgage payments. Another 20m pay over a third.
In the real world, you can’t separate the carbon causing the climate emergency from our physical and economic systems
While the climate movement flexes its muscles by holding climate strikes and blocking pipelines, housing movements all around the country are racking up wins, with campaigns like the Homes Guarantee putting national rent control on the mainstream political agenda.
Anyone hoping to become the Democratic nominee should be able to answer the question: what will your climate plan do for the housing crisis? Or, to flip it around: What can your housing policies do for the climate emergency? Either way, a good answer should be the same: a lot.
