Democrats have some major issues to resolve before the Green New Deal has a shot of getting out of the chute, let alone as a rational Democrat political platform plank:
Solar panel component parts: many are plastic. You know, good old hydrocarbon products from raw petroleum, because AlGorerGooeyJuice, though a practical invention, does not yet exist. Oops. How about the success of solar panel recycling, since the first generations of the things are now needing replacement? According to National Geographic [11/2014] "success" is not the operative recycling word.
Windmills. Those blades turn on an array of bearings. They are lubricated. With what? Uhhh, petroleum. Again, no AlGoreGooeyJuice. Do you begin to see the seriousness of the lack? By the way, same goes for all turbines that all windmills drive, as well as those of hydro, tidal, geothermal, and even nuclear. That's every single "green" energy turbine on earth. Far from the "ideal" of net zero, yeah?
Electric cars. Great, but they still have engines, transmissions, brakes, power steering, axles and wheels, a differential... and they are lubricated by... charged electrons? Nope. And not AlGoreGooeyJuice, either. It's petroleum. And assemblies like A/C compressors, the power steering pump, alternator... are driven by belts partly made by urethane. Is that a cloud by-product? Nope. Petroleum. Happy Net Zero Day. Oh. There isn't even one of those designated, yet.
