Carbon tax is voice of the futureMar 19 - Deseret News (UT)
It is time to go beyond the debate over human causation of global climate change and move toward a call to action. Can most of us at least agree, as do some of the major oil companies, that the current extraordinary levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a threat to our collective long-term security? What if the actions we take as a society to reduce our carbon footprint have no real downside and actually could result in significant economic and environmental advantages? Do we truly care about our future generations enough to consider what their environment might look like if we fail to act? The idea of putting a cost on carbon at its point of origin has been proposed by both conservative and liberal economists as a reasonable step to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being added daily into the atmosphere. Taken together with the return of those fees in the form of a monthly dividend and you have a market-based solution to future energy needs. This solution is attractive for the following reasons: First, it signals the markets that the cost of emitting carbon will rise over time. This signal would encourage the market to seek more clean and efficient energy solutions without any bias as to which emerging technology might be the best. Second, Regional Economic Modeling Inc. has issued a detailed report that shows a carbon fee and dividend will actually stimulate the economy as the new technologies will require both capital and labor investments in excess of the current investments. Lastly, the implementation of a carbon dividend opens the door to other initiatives that could further reduce our carbon footprint. As we contemplate the ideas listed above, perhaps it is in our human nature to feel discouraged or overwhelmed. Maybe we simply feel that our political representatives are not in touch. However, is it not in our human spirit to never accept the status quo? British Columbia already has passed a province-wide carbon fee and dividend plan that has achieved a 20 percent reduction in carbon based fuels, as well as a reduction in local income tax. If British Columbia has taken a step, then why not Utah ? Gov. Gary Herbert has stated that Utah is being recognized as a global business leader. Utah is blessed with great universities, a culture of entrepreneurship, as well as untapped non-carbon energy resources. The benefits of proactively moving towards non-carbon energy resources certainly outweigh the costs of burning every bit of Utah coal and oil. Implementing a carbon fee and dividend system in Utah could be the model for future national legislation. Let's think of those dividends returned to households as both an economic stimulus in the present and as an investment in the future. Your political representatives would like to hear your voice on this issue. This is the voice of putting a cost on carbon with the collected revenue being returned to you as monthly dividends. This is the voice of an economy driven by sustainable energy. This is the voice that values the future of our children. The time to act is now, while fossil fuels have plummeted to some of the lowest levels in recent history. The EPA is threatening to take action of its own, which will push energy costs higher without the benefit of dividends. The carbon fee and dividend plan makes environmental, economic and political sense. The future security of our children and our grandchildren are hanging in the balance. Paul Paris has been selling electrical equipment for almost 40 years. He currently spends most of his time hiking and skiing in the Wasatch Mountains . http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=35560762 |