Climate Change Legislation

More than anything, the world needs effective climate change legislation. It's not just about the environment, but also about jobs and social justice. It's about helping out the third world and creating legislation that makes "sustainability" a reality.


In one of his articles this week in The New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman argues that,

"If we put a Patriot Fee ($10 per barrel of oil) on all of those imported barrels, we would use less, cease enriching bad regimes, strengthen our own dollar, make the air cleaner and the climate more stable, foster the exploitation of domestic and renewable energy sources, promote electric vehicles, help bring down the global price of oil (which hurts Iran and helps poor Africa), and we could use the revenue to shrink the deficit. It’s win, win, win, win, win, win ..."  

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/opinion/25friedman.html?hp

He's right, it would be win, win, and win.

And yet at the moment, it's impossible. A carbon tax? A Gas tax? That's political suicide. But it's exactly what's needed. Nothing will change unless there is incentive for change.

So, we, the environmentally aware, need to start a real political movement built around one of the most important issues of this age.