Hi, friends! Well, some of you may remember hearing about my amazing trip to DC in which I had the awesome opportunity to take a meeting to my own Congressman. It was so exhilarating and empowering to get to do this! The plan for the rest of the year is to write, write, write and talk, talk, talk. The piece below is an introduction to the specific legislation that we in Citizens Climate Lobby are pursuing as the best first step in curbing climate change. Please read through this short piece and let me know if you have any questions or would like to join the groundswell that is Citizens Climate Lobby. We would love to have you!
Economy and Earth: A Win-Win Proposition
The left brings environmental urgency. The right brings economic urgency. The libertarian perspective reminds us that we need to stop government bloat. All together, we can achieve two amazing outcomes that we cannot alone:
We can halt the destructive effects of climate change, and
We can retool the American economy for the 21st Century and beyond.
The approach embraced by economists of all stripes to meet these two objectives? A carbon fee-and-rebate.
But first, why bother? Well, the evidence supporting climate change is as certain as the evidence supporting aerodynamics or antibiotics. We do not question whether planes will actually fly or whether antibiotics will actually cure. We know these things to be true. If scientists are known to be rigorous and accurate in these areas of science, why the sudden distrust where climate is concerned?
Perhaps some are afraid of this science being true because its truth is taken to mean that heavy-handed government intervention is the only way to address such a problem.
But what if I was to tell you that within a decade clean energy can be a core piece of the American economy? That energy independence from other nations is possible by way of harnessing the sun and wind above this vast land? And that other nations, most specifically China, are currently busy investing in these American natural resources for their own future economic stability?
All of these things are true. We can act now in our own best interest by supporting a carbon fee-and-rebate. It works like this. A fee is paid wherever carbon is extracted. Why collect this fee? Because carbon emissions cost the public in healthcare and other ways.
Of the money collected, 100% is returned to American households to help offset inevitable cost increases to consumers and to encourage consumers to shop for the best deals so that they may hold on to as much of their rebate as possible. In this way, new habits are formed.
The fee starts out at $15/ton of carbon equivalency and increases each year by $10/ton until the fee ultimately phases itself out. This steady, predictable increase encourages investment in cutting-edge energy, unleashing American ingenuity.
Unlike programs of the past, which have gambled on one particular form of energy only to have it fall flat, the carbon fee-and-rebate simply levels the playing field for new inventions to emerge—and lets the market decide winners and losers.
Upon enacting such a law, government hand-outs (aka subsidies and tax breaks) to both traditional and clean energy can be eliminated.
Both fee and rebate transactions can be completed using currently existing government structures; as such, no new government bureaucracy would be needed.
A tariff would be put in place to protect American workers from unfair competition with countries who do not adopt an equivalent program.
This approach is much more streamlined and responsive than bureaucratic regulation or cap-and-trade programs can ever be. A carbon fee-and-rebate lets America do what it does best: innovate.
Visit CitizensClimateLobby.org for further information.
This was originally submitted to the Mansfield News-Mirror as a Letter to the Editor.
Heather, this is a wonderful post. A carbon fee-and-rebate is a great way to address climate change. I did not even know about your blog until today but there are so many wonderful posts here.