Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a news conference on climate change in 2017. | Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

?The cost of doing nothing is far more expensive? This morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders toured Paradise, California, the city that was virtually obliterated last November in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. It was a poignant location for his latest announcement. Sanders has revealed the most ambitious climate proposal of any presidential candidate?a $16.3 trillion plan that will create 20 million jobs while decarbonizing the country?s energy and transportation sectors by 2030.
The eye-raising cost of the plan?more than triple that of former vice president Joe Biden?s $5 trillion plan?is a small investment compared to the estimated cost of climate disasters like the Camp Fire if the country proceeds without intervention, Sanders said at a town hall in nearby Chico, California. ?It is expensive,? he said. ?But the cost of doing nothing is far more expensive.?
Along with several other U.S. senators running for president, Sanders co-sponsored the Green New Deal resolution when it was first introduced in February. Although many of the candidates have said they support the resolution, Sanders is the first candidate to officially dub his climate plan a ?Green New Deal.?
?The climate crisis is the single greatest challenge facing us and the single greatest opportunity to build a more just and equitable future,? the proposal reads.
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