[Lekooks] Climate Change Action

[philip smith]

Hello Lekooks
The next 6 months are really important for pushing for climate action
because congress is finally poised to do something.  LCUUC as well as the
UUA <https://energyinnovationact.org/all-supporters/> took a stand and
endorsed the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) as the best
first step for solving the climate crisis. It imposes a steadily increasing
fee on fossil fuels and returns that money to all of us in monthly checks.
It is very progressive in that the lower income groups get more back than
the initial higher costs we will all face. Please read the op-ed that Kim
Suhr and I recently had published in several southern Wisconsin papers for
more details (see below). Or better yet, visit the Citizens Climate Lobby
(CCL) website and use our web tools
<https://citizensclimatelobby.org/monthly-calling-campaign/> to call your
congressional representatives. Also we are seeking EICDA endorsements from
businesses and prominent individuals (e.g., reverends :), health care
professionals, etc.) Take a look at the CCL EICDA endorsement page
<https://energyinnovationact.org/endorse> .
Thanks for your time!
Phil Smith
[image: image.png]



*Moving Forward on Addressing the Climate Crisis*



President Biden recently outlined his infrastructure plan. It has many
features that will address climate crisis, some of the biggest items
include:

·          $213 billion to build, modernize, and weatherize affordable
housing

·         $174 billion to incentivize the manufacture and purchase of
electric vehicles including electrifying the entire federal fleet of
vehicles

·          $151 billion in programs for the electric grid, research and
development and repairing abandoned oil and gas wells and mines

This plan begins to put in place the elements needed to achieve the
administration’s goal of zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
However, it is unclear how far these items will move us to that objective
and includes no mechanism to encourage other countries to meet the same
goal.

We need more specific plans on getting to net zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Two of the leading contenders that will get us much of the way to our goal
are the carbon fee and dividend and regulatory approaches. The carbon fee
and dividend plan get us there in a fair and equitable way to all
Americans. The regulation approach would hurt the poor the most:

o   Any climate plan will result in near-term higher costs as a result of
fossil fuel providers passing on their increased costs to all of us.

o  The poor pay a higher percentage of their income in energy bills (either
directly through utility bills or indirectly through increased rent), as a
result they will shoulder a bigger burden of increased prices.

The carbon fee and dividend approach, however, returns the fossil fuel fees
to each of us, providing more than enough cash to offset the higher bills
for the lower income groups.

The leading carbon fee and dividend plan is the Energy Innovation and
Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA), just re-introduced into the 117th congress
with 28 co-sponsors. The plan applies a steadily increasing fee on all
fossil fuels as they are removed from the ground (1st year $15/tonne CO2
emissions, increasing by $10/tonne/yr). The higher cost of extracted fossil
fuels will incentivize companies to innovate and utilities to switch to
renewable energy sources or add carbon capture and sequestration to reduce
their greenhouse gas footprint. The fee is returned to each of us equally.
In the first year, a low income family of four would receive $514 in cash
back,
<https://citizensclimatelobby.org/household-impact-study/?_ga=2.8797747.703017782.1618004051-1927793738.1564447149>
which will more than cover the estimated $273 in increased energy costs. By
year 10, the cash back increases to $3,000. (
https://energyinnovationact.org/how-it-works/). More than 85% of the low-
and middle- income earners will receive far more cash back than the
increased costs they will face.

The plan has other benefits as well. The increased cash in the hands of
people needing it the most will result in economic stimulation resulting in
over 2.8 million jobs created. Reduced use of fossil fuels will result in
cleaner air and improved health. The border carbon adjustment will protect
American business and incentivizes other countries to enact their own GHG
reduction policies.



Perhaps, most importantly, a study presented in Nature Climate Change
suggests the EICDA fee will gets us to the net zero greenhouse gas emission
goal by 2050 <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0880-3> (
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0880-3).

This problem has been a long time in the making; it will take a
multi-pronged approach to fixing it. So, yes, support President Biden’s
infrastructure bill which funds a wide swath of solutions to our climate
crisis AND encourage our Wisconsin Senators Baldwin and Johnson and your
congressional representative to sign on to the Energy Innovation and Carbon
Dividend Act.

Kim Suhr and Philip Smith/ Members of Citizens Climate Lobby

-- 

Phil Smith (he/him)
W318 S4121 Highview Rd
Waukesha, Wi. 53189
262/ 719-1542
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