Lauren McCormack is a senior at UC Berkeley studying sociology and conservation & resource studies.
This summer my original internship was cancelled due to Covid-19. As I looked around for other environmental-related internships, I remembered an organization called Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which I had checked out briefly the summer prior. I remembered that they had a really organized structure and a positive attitude, but I also remember being slightly off-put by the fact that they were committed to bipartisanship.
I had thought “Why should I, as a Democrat, have to put up with Republicans who have been so reluctant to even acknowledge climate change is real?”. I thought that anything Republicans agree to must not be good, especially when it comes to climate. But I was drawn back to CCL and wanted to give it another shot.
The more research I did, the more I saw that many Republicans are willing to address climate change--especially young conservatives, like those part of the organization Young Conservatives for a Carbon Dividend. I realized that the “conservative” thing to do really is to conserve the environment, and to make sure the economy is strong and functioning properly. For the economy to do this, markets must factor in all externalities, including the cost of climate change. I also came to the conclusion-- one that is central to CCL’s values-- that we need bipartisan support to make sure that this legislation can endure over the long haul in the same way other major environmental legislation like the Clean Air Act have.
I decided to intern with my local CCL chapter, and I am so glad that I did. Since last summer when I went to my first CCL meeting, CCL’s focus on getting a carbon fee and dividend introduced in congress has turned into advocating for a specific piece of legislation--one that had been introduced in large part because of CCL’s efforts. This was exciting.
The legislation CCL is lobbying for is called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, or HR 763, and it is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would implement a federal carbon fee and dividend policy. The more I learned about HR 763, the more confident I became that this is the best piece of legislation on the table right now, and we need it passed A.S.A.P.
HR 763 corrects for the externality of carbon emissions and climate change by putting a price on carbon at the source (oil, coal, natural gas). This won’t just make gas and electricity increase in price (in fact it won't that much), but it will also permeate into other goods, like foods, household items, etc. This will have the effect of driving the market away from fossil-fuel intensive products and toward ones that were made with less fossil fuel, since these will be cheaper to make and thus purchase.
HR 763 also includes a carbon dividend, meaning people will all get an equal amount of money back each month from the government which will help them offset the price of new goods that may be more expensive. Low income and middle class folks will come out ahead, because they have a lower carbon footprint and buy fewer carbon-intensive goods and services. Thus HR 763 would put more money into their pockets from the get go. For wealthier households with higher carbon footprints, they will be incentivized to resort to more sustainable options. However, the carbon fee will increase gradually, meaning that families, businesses, and the economy will have time to adapt.
As the price on carbon increases, it will be less profitable for fossil fuel companies and other industries to rely on carbon-products, eventually driving their use down. Households will also increasingly turn away from carbon-intensive products and will naturally opt for cheaper, more sustainable products and services. After all, one of the (few) universally accepted laws of economics states that the higher the cost of something, the lower its demand.
What is most compelling to me is that this carbon fee and dividend policy can drive down emissions by 40% in the next 10 years, which can put us on track to meeting the IPCC report’s requirement of cutting emissions by 50% in 12 years in order to mitigate the worst of climate change and have a real chance to preserve life as we know it. While we need other countries to pitch in as well, having a successful federal carbon fee and dividend policy in the US can serve as a model and source of motivation for other countries.
Interning with CCL this summer and advocating for HR 763 has opened my eyes to new perspectives. I have realized that a bipartisan solution to climate change is not only necessary, but it is possible and within reach. I enjoy working for CCL because I feel that my individual acts are part of a bigger, organized effort that has a big, but achievable goal. I think passing HR 763 is important and should be the backbone of our federal climate policy, but there is other work to be done too. CCL is just one part of an ecosystem of environmental organizations. I encourage you to use your individual agency and efforts to be part of a bigger organization that can create structural change. This structural change is closer than you might think.