Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn't waste any time getting started in Congress. The first-term Democrat boldly proposed The Green New Deal, one of the most ambitious policy proposals in decades.

Precise details are fuzzy, but the broad strokes suggest that the Green New Deal calls on the federal government to ban virtually all fossil fuels, replace most cars and airplanes with trains and other forms of public transportation, build a smart electricity grid, strengthen trade unions, retrofit every building in the country, give everyone free college, free healthcare, and a guaranteed job.

But would it prevent climate change? By including a series of highly ambitious left-wing proposals on economic and social policy, is the Green New Deal debate a distraction from constructive efforts to address carbon emissions, pollution and global warming?

Our guest, Megan McArdle, is a Washington Post columnist and author of the book "The Upside of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success." She writes about economics, finance and government policy.

We discuss a series of proposed solutions, including a carbon tax, massive new government spending on research and development of promising green technologies, and ways to make renewable energy cheaper for consumers.