A carbon price would support American businesses’ international competitiveness

In July, the European Union announced the implementation of their Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. While it sounds like a highly technical and complicated policy, it is simply a tariff on businesses from countries without a carbon pricing law. The United States is one of the countries without a price on carbon and therefore American companies will be forced to pay a tax to the EU in order to export their products. Having to pay an additional tariff will force American companies to increase their prices and will thus become less competitive in international markets. 

What can the United States do about this problem? The answer is simple, we must pass and implement a carbon pricing law. Only a price on carbon will allow American businesses to avoid paying higher international tariffs. The House and Senate are deciding what climate measures to include in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package and in order to keep the American economy competitive, we must urge our Senators and Representatives in Congress to support a carbon pricing law.

Tyler Allen is a graduate student at O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

The tragic Pacific Northwest coastal ‘seafood bake’ is a call for bold climate action.

Sofia Herron Geller is a sophomore at Oberlin College.

The“Seafood Bake” incident described in the July 11 Earthweek column “cooked more than a billion seashore animals to death, leaving a putrid stink near Vancouver, B.C.”. This line lends itself to some puns, but it is by no means a dismissable event. The unprecedented heat of this summer which has destroyed major populations of mussels and other mollusks is indicative of the accelerating impact of climate change.

Experts attribute this seafood bake to a combination of warming temperatures and low tides, so we know what to focus on to prevent this in the future. Quite evidently, we must address climate change action now.

I lived in California when starfish populations all but disappeared due to disease and when one of the few mass beachings of by-the-wind sailor jellyfish occurred. Even though this mass decline of sea creatures isn’t an isolated event, I remain optimistic about political actions we can take to reduce our impact on the Earth.

Fortunately, there are numerous pieces of congressional legislation that demonstrate a new and inspiring wave of bipartisan support to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize global temperature. If we act now, we can stop more unintentional seafood bakes from happening!

The February 2021 Texas power crisis was man-made, and we need further action to prevent the next one

There is substantial evidence that the February power crisis could have been less devastating if Texas had properly prepared and was not so reliant on natural gas. While ERCOT argues that the temperatures were unprecedented, more extreme weather events are continuing to occur all across the world. 

Many said that Hurricane Harvey was also unprecedented and the extreme flooding events following that were unprecedented. How many more extreme weather events must occur for the Texas government to wake up and understand that the climate crisis is happening now? We cannot continue to say these are “100-year floods” when the floods are now occurring every year.

While ‘unprecedented’ weather events will continue to happen it is time the Texas government starts to work towards doing something about it. It is time for Texas to start to mitigate the climate crisis by supporting carbon pricing and green energy!

Olivia Vong is a recent graduate of the University of Houston.

To save our manatees, we need to address climate change quickly and boldly

Miranda Raimondi is a senior at Eckerd College in Florida.

There is no Florida mammal more beloved & iconic than the manatee, as said by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan of FL. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission states that 890 manatees have died in the first seven months of 2021, higher than the previous annual record of 830 deaths in 2013. Despite this alarmingly-high number, manatees were reclassified in 2017 as no longer endangered, & now, perhaps predictably, Florida congressmen seek to reinstate that former status for the manatee. 

Sadly, the question must be asked: What good will it do? While the manatee should definitely be reinstated as endangered, the main cause of their demise is climate change, which has caused the significant die-off of their key food source, seagrass. What we need right now are bold solutions to address climate change. Congress is currently in the process of negotiating the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. Incorporating measures such as carbon pricing, renewable energy standards, and investments in clean energy would go a long way to address the source of the problem for manatees and the ocean. Ask your members of Congress to support bold climate measures today at cclusa.org/house. Too often we fail to see the feedback loops caused by our own neglect of the planet, but if we addressed them, manatees will not need to remain on the endangered species list.

Climate change bringing the beach to you

Luke Bartol is a senior at Bowdoin College in Maine.

No summer in Maine is complete without days spent at the beach, but sometimes it’s such a drag to drive all the way to the coast. Don’t you wish the beach was a bit closer to you? Worry no longer – climate change is doing just that!

According to projections by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, it should just take a few short decades to bring the ocean closer to your doorstep. With 6 inches of sea-level rise, an increase that’s predicted within the century, the coastline of Reid State Park will be a mile further inland, while Old Orchard Beach will be over 2 miles closer in some places. Just think of all the time you’ll save!

All joking aside, the extent to which Maine is poised to be affected by sea-level rise is drastic. The same analysis shows Bath Iron works fully submerged, all of Portland’s Commercial Street under water and downtown Damariscotta full of water. Maine’s islands fare even worse, with a quarter of Vinalhaven and the Cranberry Isles slated to be lost to the sea.

Effective climate action is an absolute necessity for the people of Maine and must be a top priority for our legislators in Augusta and Washington. We cannot settle for half-baked actions of political posturing, as only quick and decisive action has a chance at mitigating the devastating effects that are quickly coming. Call your representatives today and tell them that the benefits of closer beaches are not worth it.

A Carbon Dividend would help correct Maine’s ecosystem

Luke Bartol is a senior at Bowdoin College in Maine.

Summer in Maine is undoubtedly our best season, as the throngs of tourists coming “from away” can attest. While much of our natural landscape is wonderful, blackflies, ticks and now a surge of browntail moths make enjoying the outdoors less pleasant. Milder winters and early springs as a result of climate change impact our flora and fauna, such as this year’s early thaw which killed off the fungus that usually keeps the browntail moth population under control. Similar problems occur with blackflies, which hatch earlier and lay more eggs, or ticks who spread Lyme disease further as temperatures warm.

While all these pests make inroads, our favorite almost-insect, the lobster, begins to leave and move northward, as the Gulf of Maine warms. While we are already feeling the effects of climate change, more serious consequences can be mitigated if we take effective action immediately. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 2307), co-sponsored by Rep. Pingree represents a critical first step in addressing these problems, we must push our other members of congress to support this important piece of legislation.

By encouraging American solar production, a carbon price would advance human rights

Laura Rockefeller is a senior at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

The Chinese government’s use of forced labor in the Xinjiang province is a major problem for environmentalism and human rights. This initiative is ethnic and religious persecution thinly disguised as an anti-poverty program. The United States and other democracies have sounded the alarm on the miserable work conditions and political repression that workers in the Chinese region face. However, they have struggled to fully condemn the problem in practice. That’s because the supply chain for numerous global products, like solar panels, can be traced back to Xinjiang. 

 On July 21 2021, Senators Ed Markey and Mitt Romney discussed the solar supply chain problem at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Each mentioned that the labor and materials for solar panels originates in Chinese internment camps. But the world cannot turn away from solar energy now, when climate change needs urgent action. Instead, we need to incentivize our own solar technology and other clean tech. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a carbon tax bill, would do just that.

This bill would boost international competitiveness on clean tech, jumpstart innovation, and put money back into citizens’ pockets. It will target markets and industries, create thousands of new jobs, and bring about the conditions where clean energy deployment can accelerate rapidly. A strong, economy-wide price on carbon could reduce America’s carbon pollution by 50% by 2030, putting us on track to reach net zero by 2050. A carbon price will save 4.5 million American lives over the next 50 years by restoring clean air in places like Salt Lake. If they are serious about combating the climate crisis, Mitt Romney and Ed Markey should endorse the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.

Promoting sustainability in farming techniques a key to climate solution strategy

Sofia Herron Geller is a sophomore at Oberlin College.

In response to the June 13th article “New ‘Organic’ Food Fights Climate Change and Maintains Soil Health, Biodiversity,” It’s very frustrating to learn about climate solutions and farming techniques that are within our grasp, but that get no support from policymakers.

Small and mid-sized Ohio farmers could implement more of these sustainable practices with a boost from our policymakers. That’s why I’m excited about the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a promising bipartisan bill in both the U.S. House and Senate. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman both support it.

The bill would provide basic scientific standards, a certification program, and technical assistance to help farmers, foresters, and landowners reduce their carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions by entering emission credit markets. In the realm of regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration and reforestation are two important components that the Growing Climate Solutions Act would make a reality.

I truly believe that if farmers get the support they deserve to participate in carbon credit markets, they will have more means to engage in organic farming and other sustainable practices. We have to make sustainability economically and environmentally sustainable for all!

Individual action is not enough. We need the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act

Ellen Ren is a sophomore at Barnard College in New York.

In my Environmental Science class in high school, we all were asked to calculate our carbon footprint and how many Earths we’d need if everyone lived the way we did, much like Dr. Case and her consultation with Wren. Besides the startling realization that many of us would need more than one Earth - the US average is five Earths - it illuminates a way to mitigate such footprints.  

While many find ways to reduce their carbon footprint by eating less meat or other lifestyle changes, it is crucial to advocate for policies that will achieve emission reductions on a grander scale, starting with support for broad climate legislation. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act is a great start - it taxes carbon emissions at the source and returns the revenue as a dividend to American households all while promoting clean air to save millions of lives and drive clean energy to be affordable and accessible to everyone. I urge Senator Schumer to support it, and Gillibrand, who is already a co-sponsor to promote and urge her fellow colleagues to sponsor.

Rural America should lead in renewable energy

Daphne Hulse is a senior at Purdue University in Indiana.

There are few things more familiar to the Midwestern eye than the perfect, flat squares of green and brown farmland stretching out as far as the eye can see. I am a lifelong Hoosier, and this scene has been a constant. But this new decade has taught us that our world can change in an instant.

The hastening global movement to begin cutting carbon emissions is no exception. According to a recent study from the Rocky Mountain Institute, rural America will be a centerpiece in the transition to renewable energy: rural communities are expected to house almost all of the future photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines built.

But is this ostensible change to the classic rural skyline as drastic as it sounds? Agro-photovoltaics, or the installation of solar panels several feet above crop fields, is a technique used to gather energy in the same space as agriculture. What little is lost in crop yield is gained in electricity revenue. Wind farms, which accommodate turbines concurrently with cattle ranches or crops, can act as an income buffer for when farm income is down. The coexistence of rural lands and utility-scale renewable energy already has precedent and financial success.

More powerful than these perceived benefits, though, is community willingness to accept a changed scenery. No place on Earth is untouched by humans. And as we continue to alter the atmosphere, the effects of climate change become all the more threatening, especially for farmers who rely on good weather and land.

Leaders in Congress have the opportunity to support carbon pricing policies in Congress, which incentivize this movement toward implementing renewables in rural America. Transitioning to solar and wind is how we can work to protect traditional farmland from climate change.

When the flames are extinguished and the smoke clears

Violette Ballecer is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Northeast Regional Fellow and is earning her Bachelor’s in environmental analysis and policy and Master’s in energy and environment at Boston University. Violette’s passion for environmental advocacy stems from growing up in Central Valley, CA, America’s agricultural capital.

What I remember is the smell of burning — everything burning. I can still see flecks of ash falling outside my classroom window like sad little snowflakes. I also remember my lack of surprise: in California’s Central Valley, a couple-dozen miles shy of Yosemite National Park, a “normal” summer’s forecast includes ever-worsening heat, drought, and subsequent wildfire events. 

I grew up in one of the most devastatingly beautiful places in the world. Where else can a person find firefalls, fairy pools, skiable mountains, and fields of wildflowers that could put a kaleidoscope to shame all within a 30 mile radius? However, in my 18 years of living there, the landscape had become unrecognizable due to climate change. Some of the meadows, streams, and lush forests to which I had dreamed of bringing my own children someday simply do not exist anymore. Seated front-row to the blistering demise of my home drove me to pursue a career in which I can make measurable change through policy.

When I got to university, I knew I wanted to get involved in local climate advocacy efforts. I started working with a fantastic organization called Our Climate, and through that opportunity, I found my way to Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). Working as the Northeast Regional Fellow for CCL has given me a behind-the-scenes look at the complex process of passing climate legislation. More importantly, I have had the great honor of mentoring and advising passionate, civic-minded students as they discover how to use their voices to engender change. I am currently enrolled in a degree program training as a scientist so that I may one day create science-based, equitable environmental legislation. 

Though it is profoundly rewarding, I must say I learn as much from the students I mentor as they do from me. My well-rounded understanding of how science translates into policy makes me a more effective scientist, the relationships I forge with those I advise make me a more effective educator, and my practiced ability to communicate productively with my local legislators makes me a better constituent. These are all skills which have been honed by my climate advocacy work at CCL. I know that my time with them has prepared me for a life of serving, protecting, and bettering my own community. I have become the person I wish existed when I watched climate change slowly raze my home.

When the flames are extinguished and the smoke clears, I believe the future will be brighter. I have a vision of a world in which I don’t have to worry about what kind of planet my grandchildren will inherit. The only way we can make this dream a reality is through education--educate friends and family, educate legislators, educate yourself. Without informed climate action, we won’t just lose serene meadows and magical fairy pools — we will lose everything. So, it’s up to us what we choose: antiquated values and greed or the planet we hold so dear?

Climate action through the lens of environmental justice

Paulina Torres is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s California Regional Fellow and a student at UCLA as a public affairs and education studies double-major and a Chicano(a) studies minor. She is from Terra Bella, a small town in the central valley of California.

Growing up in a low-income, farm laboring, Latino town, I would have never imagined myself being part of a climate organization and eventually lobbying for a bipartisan climate bill in Washington DC. However, after seeing the effects of climate change in California and my community, I decided to take action.

In California, where climate change is causing more frequent and extreme heat waves, under-resourced, low-income, immigrant, and undereducated communities are the worst impacted, four categories that I know far too well. For example, farmworkers experience disproportionate rates of occupational injuries and illness due to the high-intensity labor in high heat. They are exposed to harmful pesticides and often have a record of respiratory health problems. Additionally, most farmworkers live in low-income rural communities that are surrounded by waste, power, and oil plants. This pollutes the air and harms their health and quality of life. 

The issues that surround my community are the reason I decided to join Citizens’ Climate Lobby in 2017.  I first heard about CCL my junior year of high school through a good friend of mine, who like me, was worried about the future of our planet. My main goal initially was to inform my community about climate change in their native language, since many farmworkers in the Central Valley do not speak English. Through grassroots outreaching and collaboration with other high school students, I led a district-wide endorsement campaign which was later mentioned in the lobby meeting with our congressional representative. 

In my second quarter at UCLA, I applied and received the California regional fellowship with CCL.  This position has allowed me to work with devoted and passionate young people that care deeply about climate change. I have particularly enjoyed working with new and current campus leaders to increase membership and participation at their respective campuses. This spring I organized and moderated a panel on environmental justice at the California state conference, a topic that is very important to me and my community. This panel opened the door to many important conversations, some of which are difficult and controversial, many of which I've had with members of my community. Overall, my role as a regional fellow has strengthened many important skills that I will need in my future career. This role has been both challenging and fulfilling, something I will never forget. 

As a member of the future generation of this country, I am worried about the future of my community and the constant threats of climate change. For decades we have known about the possible effects of greenhouse gases yet we have decided to ignore them. It has come to a point to which the effects are no longer possible to ignore. I hope that in the near future we can come together and address the issue of climate change through legislation like the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which would put America on the path to zero emissions and put money in the pockets of low-income Americans.  We must act now and change our trajectory. 

Building the power of ordinary citizens to create change

Emily Marcil is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Great Lakes Regional Fellow and recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a major in society and environmental studies and minor in political science. She will be pursuing a Master’s at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability in Fall 2021.

As an incoming graduate student at the University of Michigan, I am afraid of how my life will look post-grad even though I’m supposed to be starting my life – not fearing it.  Every summer we have record setting temperatures, intense droughts, wildfires and storms. Consequences such as rising food prices, housing and energy costs, and increase in respiratory diseases and death disproportionately impact poor people and people of color. I feel like I will be left behind financially as the gap widens between the rich and the poor.

When I first learned about climate change in my high school environmental science class I was completely taken aback by how we can just go on -- business as usual-- and not take action. As a sophomore in high school I went fully vegan because that was my way of decreasing my carbon footprint. However I knew that because of environmental racism, veganism is not accessible or affordable for some people. I also am aware of the fact that veganism alone cannot solve the complex problem of climate change. I’m not saying that change at the individual level is useless, because it does have great benefits; however we need to push for systemic changes. 

I became involved with Citizens’ Climate Lobby because I believe in the power of citizens--ordinary citizens that know climate change is going to affect our daily lives--to make change. As a regional fellow I am able to connect with these ordinary citizens, specifically the younger generation, to build political will for climate legislation. Climate legislation such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act holds those big corporations accountable for the damage they’ve done by gradually increasing the cost to pollute. The dividend is also one of my favorite aspects of the legislation because it directly gives money to people to use however they please. 

Climate change, being the existential threat it is, has made me realize how truly fragile yet precious our lives are here on Earth. It is not something we will experience far down the line, but something we are experiencing right now.  Ordinary citizens need to take back the power in Washington and get real solutions passed in order for us to live healthy and happy lives. 

Addressing climate change and improving the economy go hand in hand

Olivia Vong is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Third Coast Regional Fellow and a Master’s student at the University of Houston pursuing her degree in public policy with a concentration in economics.

Growing up near the coast of Texas, hurricanes were a normal part of life, but those hurricanes have become more intense and more devastating. Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 caused catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. More recently, in February 2021, multiple snowstorms in the gulf coast region caused a power crisis that left more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power, some for several days.

I gained a very preliminary understanding of climate change throughout high school but I did not truly understand its impact until I went to college. As I learned more about climate change throughout undergraduate and graduate school, I felt the need to do something. There is this sense of urgency since climate change is such a multifaceted issue that disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income individuals. Through addressing climate change, not only are we saving the planet but we are also beginning to address inequalities. 

I joined my local Houston chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby because I liked CCL’s core values and wanted to get more involved with the policy side of climate change.  Overall, my work as a regional fellow has helped me feel more energized about the cause. Getting to see students be so energized about climate change and want to take action on their campus is so inspiring. I learn so much from our campus leaders! 

One common misconception about addressing climate change is that it is not economically viable. Economic models show that this is a false dichotomy and addressing climate change and improving the economy go hand in hand. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, CCL’s preferred climate legislation, would put America on the path towards net zero emissions while growing the economy. Cities like Houston would benefit hugely from a carbon price which would accelerate the implementation of the city's climate action plan. This will in turn lessen the inequalities exacerbated by climate change.

Getting off the climate roller coaster

Sara Saucedo is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Tornadoes Regional Fellow and a Masters Student at Arkansas State University studying Environmental Science with an emphasis on public policy and economics.

Having moved to Jonesboro Arkansas from Pasadena California, I have seen the effects of climate change firsthand. I have lived through years of drought, record breaking heat waves, numerous forest fires, and continuous school cancellations due to extremely unsafe air conditions. In 2014, California declared a state of emergency and a 25% water usage cutback. The following year, the city of Pasadena imposed a watering schedule prohibiting the use of water on certain days and times. The Bobcat fire (September 2020) was only 12 miles from my house and burned 115,796 acres of land. 

Growing up, the effects of climate change were just another part of life. Over time, I began to question why we were suffering from these weather changes while other parts of the country were not. When I moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas in January 2017, I decided to create the first environmental club at Arkansas State University. Under my newfound organization I was able to acquire over 300 members, ban all future balloon and sky lantern releases on campus, remove plastic straws from the dining hall, implement recycling bins in all Residence Halls, receive media coverage in local newspapers and magazines, a television interview with the Mayor’s Office Director of Communications, and organize the NEA Global Climate Strike. Additionally, I was the only student selected to sit on the Jonesboro Chambers of Commerce Green Business Committee to assist in planning local environmental efforts. Although I had great success in my local community, I knew more had to be done. 

In late October 2018, I was tabling at an EcoFest event in a city near me and I saw a table a few rows away with a big banner that read, “Citizens’ Climate Lobby.” I ventured over to the table, where I met Jan Schaper, the Arkansas State Coordinator. Jan greeted me and began to inform me of what CCL was. I immediately grabbed the clipboard and began filling out my information. I knew this was the more that had to be done. Two weeks later I was in D.C. at my first climate lobby meeting. Over the next three years I lobbied in DC two more times and twice virtually. I was then hired as CCL's Regional Fellow where I have assisted state and regional coordinators in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas with event programming, chapter development, and support of university campus leaders.

Throughout my work with CCL and my time with Arkansas State University, it has become clear to me that the creation and implementation of environmental policy is essential to aid in the endeavors to protect our planet. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, CCL's preferred climate solution, is the most powerful tool to put America on the path to zero emissions while growing the economy. 

Working on climate is like riding an unceasing rollercoaster of emotions. I am constantly conflicted with feelings of sadness, frustration, fear, and yet hopeful and inspired. Every time I hear an inspiring success story of an act of environmental stewardship my emotions take a turn and I feel as though my ride is coming to end. With each and every day I see more and more progress in the world, and I can only hope that sometime soon this rollercoaster will steady itself enough for me to get off. When I imagine the future, I see myself putting a “closed” sign on this rollercoaster, walking away with only joy.

Let’s listen to the Chamber of Commerce and support market-based climate solutions

Elise Koepke is a student at the Georgia Institute of Technology and participated in our Spring 2021 Climate Advocacy Methods Program. Elise is also a communications intern for CCL.

Dear Editor,

I was surprised not to see coverage in the Marietta Daily Journal of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s updated position on climate change. The statement, published last month, endorses stronger policy action to tackle the climate crisis, championing a “market-based approach” as the best solution to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. 

For years, support has grown among the business community for putting a price on carbon and now it couldn’t be more clear - the biggest player in American enterprise is calling for market-based mechanisms such as a carbon tax, and it’s time to listen. 

One approach that’s already earned bipartisan support in Congress is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. The proposed legislation will reduce carbon emissions by 40% over twelve years while encouraging U.S. investment in clean energy and returning money to communities in the form of dividend checks.

As a young person concerned about the livability of our planet and social justice for our communities, I want meaningful climate legislation that addresses both issues efficiently and equitably. And evidently, our Chamber of Commerce does too. With the recent climate reforms undertaken by the new administration, there's no better time to take action - let’s urge our legislators to join the Chamber and push a carbon policy through Congress. 

Nevada’s opportunity to strengthen the economy and tackle climate change

Kate Lewis is a student at Ventura College and a resident of Nevada who participated in our Spring 2021 Climate Advocacy Methods Program.

 As a Nevada citizen concerned about the devastating effects of climate change on our state and the world, I am both hopeful and frustrated with the current conversation around climate policy (“What will a Biden administration mean for public lands in Nevada? It’s about climate change.” Daniel Rothberg, Jan 28).  The nation is eagerly watching the Biden administration tackle the climate issues that the previous administration had relegated to the sidelines.  Nevadans are especially looking for answers surrounding the issues of renewable development on public land and adjacent industries like mining.  Even as Biden strives towards a “unified national response”, there is a fundamental flaw in a climate policy that only addresses the crisis by legislating countless distinct policies on an industry-by-industry basis.  The adverse effects of climate change cannot be solved or even curbed by regulations, or the resulting debates, negotiations, and conflicts. 

 The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would create a single solution: a national carbon fee that goes directly back into the pockets of the American people.  It incentivizes the development of sustainable business practices across all industries, driving down carbon emissions naturally without costly and ineffective legislation, for the good of the nation, the state, and the environment.  Nevada will not have to tackle mining tax issues and regulations, conservation and development tradeoffs, and environmental justice issues individually.  A national carbon tax would grow sustainable business in Nevada, including renewable development, and the dividend from that national carbon tax would go directly to Nevada households, strengthening Nevada’s economy.  We are running out of time to correct course on climate change and we need fast, decisive action in the form of a comprehensive carbon tax through the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.

(The Nevada Independent)

California bears the brunt of climate-related disasters in the US - But we can also be the solution

Leah Bahramipour is a student at New York University and a California resident who participated in our Spring 2021 Climate Advocacy Methods Program. Leah is also a Legislative Intern with CCL.

 While reading the article “Bay Area weather: Atmospheric river storm delivers heavy rain, high winds, power outages, flash floods,” I kept thinking about how us Californians have recently witnessed the tangible effects of climate change – from more frequent, devastating forest fires to severe storms. Scientists tell us that CO2 emissions fuel stronger weather events like the recent atmospheric river storm. So, to protect our communities, we must mitigate climate change. We can decrease our emissions with the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. The Energy Innovation Act is a bipartisan bill that places a fee on carbon and then funnels the revenue directly into the pockets of the people. The policy will reduce America’s emissions by at least 40% within 12 years. I urge Representative Mark DeSaulnier to support this bill in Congress and push for strong climate policy to protect our communities.

Student urges Maryland to get serious about climate change

Dear Editor, 

Bitta Momeni is a student at Washington University in St. Louis and a participant in our Spring 2021 Climate Advocacy Methods Program.

I loved your thorough and insightful article about Baltimore’s climate change lawsuit against fossil fuel companies. As a Marylander, I have seen the direct effects of climate change, especially with the Ellicott City flash floods which devastated the community. Although Congress probably will not take a definitive stance on state versus federal climate action, I still believe there are steps we can take towards reducing the impacts of climate change. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act is a great supplemental act to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States because of its emphasis on innovation for clean sources of energy and bipartisan support in Congress. Our senator, Jamie Raskin, has expressed support for this piece of legislation as well. If we can get the rest of our representatives on board, it would show that Maryland is serious about combating climate change. 

Sincerely, 

Bitta Momeni