Thanks to the Journal staff for your article Dec. 3, “Southwest to see more heat, water scarcity, fires and food insecurity.”
Education and understanding climate change and its consequences to our local economy is an essential step before effective action.
In summary, it appears the Southwest is in for increased drought, heat, wildfires resulting in declining water supplies (water scarcity), declining crop yields (food insecurity), and the damaging aftermath of wildfires (flooding, mudslides, and erosion).
With understanding comes wise policy making.
Our legislators can set the stage for reducing our reliance on high-carbon-emitting practices by putting a price on carbon.
Economists tell us the easiest way to change our behavior is to incentivize the result desired.
Examples: fighting lung cancer by raising tobacco taxes to reduce cigarette consumption, or fighting obesity with a soda tax to reduce consumption of sugary drinks. That’s what taxes do – they discourage an activity.
The new bipartisan “Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act” can do just that.
It will encourage energy innovation, which will result in more low carbon choices available, and discourage more greenhouse gas emissions.
Americans are talented innovators.
Unleash the market to support that innovation and we have a winning formula that benefits generations to come.
Steve Jobs once said “Innovations distinguish between a leader and a follower.”
We can courageously lead by example and show other countries that putting a price on carbon is the best first step in solving the greatest problem humanity has ever faced, climate change.
Adele Riffe
Hesperus
