Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) take part in a press conference with other Democratic lawmakers and advocates reintroducing the Green New Deal for Public Housing.Mother Jones illustration; Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

With a sweeping legislative proposal, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders are attempting to place public housing at the center of the green energy transition, tackling the twin crises of global warming and soaring housing costs.

“Public housing should be the gold standard for affordable, environmentally friendly, and safe communities,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an email. “This bill is how we ensure that.”

The Green New Deal for Public Housing aims to decarbonize all of the nation’s public housing units—and build more of them—with an investment of between $162 billion and $234 billion over the next decade. In doing so, it would avert 5.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing 1.26 million cars from US roads each year, while creating jobs and public health benefits.

The proposal is co-sponsored by a slew of other progressive lawmakers and supported by dozens of environmental groups, housing justice organizations and labor unions.

“We are going to provide decent-quality, affordable housing for millions of Americans, and at the same time, we’re going to create good-paying union jobs,” said Sanders at a Thursday press conference. “That is a win, win, win situation.”

It is not likely to pass, but supporters say it can help build support for the........

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