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  • James Yamasaki
Stranger reader Davis Oldham writes:

Thanks for running Jonathan Golob’s piece on global warming. I was glad you included a list of things that folks can do. Despite the cynicism, denial, and despair that such an article all too easily provokes, I’m not willing to give up.

Another thing that folks can do is lobby their representatives for a carbon tax. Citizens Climate Lobby is working on this at a national level. Their proposal would levy an annually rising fee on all carbon-based fuels at the source, pushing the market toward clean alternatives. The revenue would be returned to consumers to offset the rising price of fossil fuels, allowing them to choose whether to spend the money on carbon or non-carbon sources. Over time this will push the energy sector away from greenhouse-gas-producing fuels. Jim McDermott’s Managed Carbon Price Act and Pete Stark’s Save Our Climate Act both incorporate elements of this proposal, though they use some revenue for debt reduction.

Political pressure is indispensable for making the large-scale changes needed. I encourage folks to make their voices heard.

Davis Oldham
Seattle

Jonathan Golob's list of other things you can do right now is RIGHT HERE.