Letter to the editor: Revenue-neutral bill would discourage carbon emissions in equitable manner

Water Challenge, Water Bills to Jump, Local Water Restrictions:

My subject line refers to a series of articles in recent issues. Even if you live under a rock, you can’t help but hear that all of California is in the fourth year of a historic drought.

Maybe you’re thinking, “So what? It’s weather, I didn’t cause it, and I can’t do anything about it.”

But only some of that is true: The drought is caused by weather. But weather is a result of climate, and all of us do affect the climate. The science is unequivocal.

And we can do something about it. It only requires a mechanism for discouraging carbon emissions in a fair and equitable manner.

A simple method endorsed by economists, scientists, and conservatives alike is a revenue-neutral carbon fee-and-dividend. It’s similar to the CRV deposits on beverage containers: you pay a fee when you buy it, and you get a refund of the fees collected. Everyone receives the same amount, but you determine the amount that you pay in. The less carbon you emit, the less you pay.

And there already is a bill with this plan: HR3242. You just need to ask your representative to approve it.

Jim Wang — Cardiff