In 2017, the estimated total cost of weather-related disasters in the U.S. was $306 billion dollars, more than half of the total U.S. spending on all four branches of the military combined. While some of these disasters might have occurred without the effect of burning fossil fuels, scientists now say with confidence that human activity is leading to an extraordinary impact on our economy. Imagine the good that could have been done if even half of $306 billion could have been invested in education, infrastructure, or alternative energy sources.
We all know the old saw “Pay now or pay later.” Our future with respect to climate change is a sterling example. We must act now to increase the cost of fossil fuels, level the playing field for renewable energy, and accelerate our progress toward limiting carbon emissions.
A carbon fee and dividend program is a fair and practical approach that collects gradually increasing fees on the production of fossil fuels and distributes the money as a dividend equally to households. We need to act now before the cost to recover from fire, flood, landslide, and storm grows to become completely unaffordable
Tama Olver
Pacific Grove
Citizens Climate Lobby Monterey
