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By Mary Beth Raven - Merrimack | Jul 29, 2018

Some U.S. citizens have a plan for how to get about $1,600 more a year while saving the planet. We know we have to save the planet; climate scientists tell us that climate change is real, it’s us, it’s bad and we’re sure. See the Fourth National Climate Assessment for details, at science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/executive-summary.

To save the planet, we put a fee on carbon, like gas and heating oil. And the money from that fee goes directly back to Americans in the form of a monthly check. Most economists recommend this approach – they call it a federal, market-based, revenue-neutral solution.

Nationally, this Carbon Fee and Dividend policy will create 2.8 million jobs, grow the GDP by $1.375 trillion, prevent 230,000 premature deaths and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels by 50 percent, all in 20 years. For details see CitizensClimateLobby.org/why-carbon-fee-and-dividend/.

It will also strongly encourage all other countries to put a price on their greenhouse gas emissions. Who opposes this action? Russia, for one. America’s top import from Russia is petroleum products like crude oil, gasoline. A fee would make such imports more expensive, less competitive against local energy like solar and offshore wind. (Source: https://qz.com/110911/america-imports-three-times-more-russian-crab-than-vodka-and-other-items-that-make-more-sense-to-boycott-than-stoli/).

“Oil and gas are responsible for more than 60 percent of Russia’s exports and provide more than 30 percent of the country’s gross domestic product” according to Investopedia (www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/030315/how-does-price-oil-affect-russias-economy.asp).

Please join the 100,000 volunteers who are working together to create the political will for climate action at CitizensClimateLobby.org.

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