“If your 2020 platform doesn’t include a Green New Deal, are you really running for President?” asked Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

After garnering some criticism from progressives for leaving her plans to combat the climate crisis out of her announcement regarding a potential 2020 presidential run, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) indicated Wednesday that she broadly supports the Green New Deal.

An aide to the senator told Axios that Warren backs the proposal that includes shifting the U.S. to 100 percent renewable energy in the next decade—a plan that has gained some traction in the House and elements of which the Senate could see in legislation Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is planning to introduce, following tireless advocacy by the youth-led Sunrise Movement.

“Senator Warren has been a longtime advocate of aggressively addressing climate change and shifting toward renewables, and supports the idea of a Green New Deal to ambitiously tackle our climate crisis, economic inequality, and racial injustice,” the staffer told Axios.

The statement suggested support for the sweeping green economy framework championed by progressive freshmen lawmakers including Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), which would create 10 million jobs over the next decade, putting Americans to work creating sustainable technology and infrastructure while rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels in order to stem the climate crisis.

Warren’s statement of support won praise on social media, including from progressives who argued that any Democrat who refuses to back the Green New Deal has no place in the 2020 presidential race.

Meanwhile, the Sunrise Movement acknowledged Warren’s support but withheld praise, demanding to know whether the senator backs the specifics within the proposal—moving to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, investing in communities that are most affected by the climate crisis, and a jobs guarantee for anyone who wants to help to create the new sustainable infrastructure.

Posted with permission from Common Dreams.