There is horrifying news about the effects of climate change from around the globe. We aren’t helpless; we have a rare opportunity to make a profound difference right now, by asking our representatives in Washington, D.C., to put a price on carbon into the Budget Reconciliation Bill.
Remember cigarette addiction? So many Americans died horrible, unnecessary deaths. Federal advertising campaigns did little good. Finally they put a tax on cigarettes and many people quit smoking, saving countless lives and funding health care for the needy. Similarly, a carbon price could put a revenue-neutral fee on emissions, paid by fossil fuel producers, and send the proceeds to American households to defray rising fuel costs. Requiring the fossil fuel industry to finally pay for its pollution of our atmosphere would level the economic playing field for clean power, stimulating clean energy innovation, job growth and the economy. Economists of both political parties agree: This is the best first step to solving climate change. A price on carbon is good for the economy, social equity, our health, the environment and our children’s future. We cannot afford to wait.
Call your U.S. representatives in the House and Senate and ask for a carbon price in the reconciliation bill. An easy way to do this is to go to citizensclimatelobby.org/house and follow instructions to write and call your representatives. You can follow a script or use your own words. Do it for our kids.
Sabra Hull
Thurston County
