At September’s Labour Party Conference, shaky iPhone footage shot from the viewing balcony captured the final tally for a motion on the Green New Deal (GND) explicitly calling for a 2030 net-zero carbon emissions target. As the final count was read out, the conference hall erupted into cheers. Delegates had voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion, which calls for decarbonization by way of a “radical policy package to increase social and economic justice.” As a result, the party’s forthcoming manifesto will include some version of the deal, though in what form is still unclear. If adopted in half measures, the GND could be co-opted to become the foundation of a tepid attempt to support businesses with incentives and tax breaks for minimal emissions targets. If adopted in full, it could have a bold future that not only targets carbon emissions but is also capable of broad economic and social transformation.

On doorsteps and at campaign rallies, the democratic ownership agenda has become a crucial way of confronting the paralysis and disempowerment that voters feel when faced with a looming climate crisis — and it promises much more than a pro-business incentive package. Rather than just a tax-and-spend initiative to create green jobs, the Green New Deal must be a radical program that matches the urgency of climate disaster.