A Green New Deal?

Sounds like a great deal, and Barack Obama is beating the green drum every time he talks about the economy.

But with oil prices plunging and the economy in full swoon, does the green dream still add up? Environmentalists say it has to. Economists say watch your step. T. Boone Pickens has shelved his wind farm.

This hour, On Point: The green dream, the Green New Deal — and what the age of Obama can deliver.

You can join the conversation. Is this the moment to go full throttle green? Or not?
Are you ready for the green New Deal?Guests:

From New York, we're joined by John Carey, senior correspondent for BusinessWeek magazine. He covers science, technology, and the environment, and writes for the magazine's "Green Business" blog.

Joining us from Menlo Park, California, is Josh Green. He's a general partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with $2 billion under management. He helps lead the firm’s “Powering the Planet” portfolio, which focuses on clean-tech companies. The firm has been making clean-tech investments since 2003, in everything from solar technology to electric cars and fuel cells.

And from Los Angeles, we're joined by Matthew Kahn, professor of economics at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research's Environmental and Energy Economics Group. He's author of "Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment."

More links:

Elizabeth Rosenthal at The New York Times examines how the global economic slowdown may make investments in clean energy more difficult.

The New Republic's Bradford Plumer argues that the economic crisis is a perfect time to institute a cap-and-trade system.

Rebecca Smith at The Wall Street Journal explores the challenges of clean energy amid the economic downturn.