(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Change is Real, The Need for a Charge on Carbon Now [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2022-09-05 Jeanne Hendricks is passionate about environmental protection issues. As the next Congresswoman from Minnesota’s 6th District, Jeanne Hendricks is committed to protecting our environment for Minnesota’s families. Jeanne strongly supports the goals of the BlueGreen Alliance. The BlueGreen Alliance works to unite labor unions and environmental organizations to solve today’s environmental challenges in ways that create and maintain quality jobs and build a clean, thriving, and equitable economy. Jeanne believes climate change is one of the most imminent and vital threats facing our world today and that it requires our immediate attention and action. It is a complex problem which will require large-scale collective action, and SOON! As Congresswoman, Jeanne Hendricks promises to waste no time getting to work protecting our ever dwindling natural world and to limit carbon emissions wherever possible. Her opponent, GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer cares far more about pillaging our natural resources for profit than he does about the long term health and beauty of the planet or about all those of us who live here. Emmer’s family money comes from his father’s logging business in Edina, MN and from his previous work as a lumber broker. His environmental voting record in the U.S. House on environmental protection legislation is abysmal. The League of Conservation Voters gave U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer a 5% lifetime rating , one of the worst environmental voting records in the U.S. House. GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer’s continued inaction on climate change and his U.S. House votes against protecting the environment are a call to action for pro-environmental protection voters to step up to support Jeanne Hendricks by donating , volunteering , or simply following Jeanne on Twitter . Over the past 30 years, we have seen global temperatures rise nearly 2° F. Ice in the arctic has decreased by 40%, and sea levels have begun to rise faster than ever. In the United States, these changes have brought about extreme weather events, severe storms, and changes to seasonal length. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense. The frequency of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has increased in the North Atlantic, and heavy downpours have increased, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. So why does this matter? Changes to water resources, food supply, infrastructure, air quality, and more is why. Rising temperatures lead to an increase in the demand for water, both for humans and agriculture. Floods and droughts are becoming more common, which negatively affect our infrastructure and our safety. These risks are especially high for underprivileged communities. Aside from farmers struggling to care for their crops in the face of new climate patterns, the farmers themselves have to worry about increased health risks. Without proper precautions, rising temperatures can lead to heat strokes, exhaustion, and even heart attacks. Livestock can also be harmed from heat stress, further demonstrating that our food supply is greatly endangered by changes to the climate. In the face of climate change and extreme weather events, our physical infrustruce is also at great risk. About 40% of the U.S. lives in coastal communities that are greatly affected by rising sea levels. Hotter temperatures put stress on the energy grid due to increased cooling use, highways and business areas risk shutting down from increased flooding and hurricanes, and more frequent extreme weather events strain existing structures. While facing climate change will require much work and cooperation from many people, there is one simple policy initiative that we believe will be most impactful. This is what Jeanne Hendricks will fight for in the U.S. Congress. A charge on carbon in the U.S. would greatly improve our environmental conditions, as there currently exists no charge on carbon in the United States. Right now, there are only cap and trade systems in place—and only in 13 states. These systems intend to limit air pollution by selling emission rights to companies, providing a more market-friendly way to disincentivize harmful production methods. However, cap and trade alone will not be enough. These “market solutions” don’t hold companies accountable for the pollution they create, they leave too much room for loopholes and political favors, and they often get in the way of passing more impactful regulations. A 2017 study on California’s cap and trade program—one of the biggest in the world— concluded that “cap is likely not having much, if any, effect on overall emissions.” THE NEED FOR A CHARGE ON CARBON No loopholes, just a flat charge on each ton of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions cause untold (and told, but some corporations just don’t seem to care) harms to our people and planet, harms that are not captured in prices alone. There are corporations that do the right thing, doing everything they can to participate in solving climate change problems, and we should applaud our good corporate partners. One of the most common methods for the Republican Party Leadership to refute carbon limiting policies is to claim that it will damage the U.S. economy. This does not have to be the case by any means. If revenues from a charge on carbon are used correctly— promoting clean energy solutions, and financially compensating displaced workers—we can reduce emissions while promoting a healthier, more sustainable future. We must transform the climate change discussion from the anti-business narrative of excessive regulation to one that creates partnerships which will lead to economic incentives and policies to protect our environment. Our defense of the environment needs to be stronger than those that choose to ignore facts and science about our changing world. If we can’t protect our planet, then what are we even doing? Join Jeanne as she fights to save the planet we all depend on. She understands the importance of swift and decisive action, and she will be there to see that an effective charge on carbon gets passed in the U.S. House. Tom Emmer continues to prioritize profit over people, and we need a leader who takes climate change action seriously. That leader is Jeanne Hendricks. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/5/2120901/-Climate-Change-is-Real-The-Need-for-a-Charge-on-Carbon-Now Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/