Some things make so much common sense that it’s just bewildering they aren’t already happening: gun control, voting rights expansion, glyphosate ban, endangered species protection, etc. Many common sense issues used to be supported by members of both parties, but not anymore. However, now that we’re all more or less acknowledging the climate crisis and the grim future it presents without our intervention, there is one common sense solution that’s beginning to gain traction in people and organizations on both sides of the aisle—pricing carbon. Scientists and economists of all persuasions recommend almost unanimously that putting a price on CO2 is the simplest, most elegant and equitable way to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and allow us to meet the targets set by the IPCC to avoid our planet’s warming above 1.5 degrees C. In the 117th Congress, we now have four carbon pricing bills, sponsored by Dems and Republicans, vying for the administration’s attention to be fitted into the infrastructure package. It takes ten calls a day for your legislator’s office to feel public support and pressure for any given bill or approach. All you need do is make one call a week, or even a month, and spend less than 30 seconds asking your representative for this common sense solution. Carbon pricing isn’t the only solution, but it’s the most foundational kickstart to a carbon free economy and a tolerable future.
Lynda Marin
Santa Cruz
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