Naomi Klein: 'It Would Be A Shame If Markey Wasn't Sent Back To The Senate'

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

October 10, 2019

Updated August 07, 2023

A year after the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report warning about irreversible climate change in 2018, Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez co-authored their Green New Deal resolution. With millions of climate change protesters taking to the streets in an effort to get governments to take action and accountability, many Democratic presidential candidates have shown their approval for the Green New Deal.

Author Naomi Klein joined Boston Public Radio on Thursday to talk about her latest book "On Fire: The (Burning Case) for a Green New Deal," and about the politicians backing the resolution.

"This is the resolution that has had so much momentum behind it, that now the majority of the candidates running to lead the Democratic party have endorsed the Green New Deal," Klein said. "Joe Biden has not, and that is very important to note."

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy has announced his challenge to Markey in the upcoming election, but Klein said she believes Markey needs to be reelected based on his achievements and commitment to progressive climate policy.

"It would be a real shame if, after showing such incredible leadership, Ed Markey wasn't sent back to the Senate," she said. "He's listening to scientists and he's saying we need to go bigger, and that showed a ton of courage, so he really needs to go back to the Senate."

Klein is an award-winning journalist, the inaugural Gloria Steinem chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University and a senior correspondent at "The Intercept."