Professor Natalie Mahowald, who contributed to the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, says, "We should focus on what potential solutions to climate change would improve our lives in other ways, and thus should be encouraged no matter what."
A simple carbon tax would put consumers in the position of choosing the solutions they are willing to tolerate because it will save them money by reducing their carbon costs. Some people will buy a bike, while others will buy a high-efficiency vehicle or start walking to work, eat less meat or insulate their homes.
A simple carbon tax would harness the power of the "almighty dollar" to reduce emissions, promote divestment from fossil fuels, and encourage private investment into all types of alternative energies.
Judy Weiss
Brookline, Mass.
member, Citizens Climate Lobby