Not So Green, Green New Deal: Depoliticizing GND Framing to Improve Support for Climate Policy

Author: Jiajun Dong

Field of Study: Philosophy; Accounting

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 27

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: News coverage of the Green New Deal (GND) in 2019 polarized emerging climate policy. Outlets framed the GND as a partisan cue, making it difficult to tackle social inequalities and justice through a climate perspective. Studies concluded that removing the GND term would break through political polarization. This study incorporates insights from macroeconomics and psychology. Policies should benefit both the renewable energy and fossil fuel sectors. With this approach, achieving climate justice will be slower, but ambitious climate proposals may provoke political antagonism. The study uses a qualitative approach — a policy and public opinion analysis. The cases include Pennsylvania’s HB 500 and a 2025 public opinion poll on partisan preferences regarding energy project options. The study hypothesizes that removing political cues and integrating psychological principles would improve public consensus around climate policy. Findings develop climate persuasion strategies to overcome polarization in climate policy, working towards bipartisan support for climate justice.