Maggie Hettinger Opinion Contributor Courier Journal 10/8/21
We’ve seen it in the news. Kentuckians, Americans and people of the world struggle to cope with flash floods, heat emergencies, crop failures, wildfires and migrations—extreme weather effects made worse and more frequent with climate change. An eye-opening report of caskets being swept out of tombs and scattered around a community by Hurricane Ida only underscores the human pain wrought by unsettled natural forces.
Times like these sorely test our faith and, like the casket that found its way to the front door of the church from which it was consecrated, our minds seek help from our faith leaders as much as from civic society.
The silver lining of the climate emergency is that at its root, climate change is a physical problem. Carbon (85% of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere) is produced by societies systemically extracting fossil fuel from the ground, with millions of years of compressed sun energy in every chunk or drop.
Every day, that carbon escapes into the atmosphere that causes the warming that changes the weather that tortures the Earth that all of creation depends on.
We know, now, that every drop and chunk of fossil fuel being dragged up out of the Earth is a very expensive pollutant. Our economy ignores that expense as if no one will pay the price — even though we know who pays the price.
Individual people pay the price in health, health costs, increasing weather costs and loss of security. Geologists, social workers and economists have searched for years to discern a practical way to target and directly reduce greenhouse gas pollution while protecting individuals and businesses during transition. They have an answer. Picture this:
Our economy can be transformed by a policy that sets an honest price on each of those drops and chunks of pollutants at the source. That means when carbon-emitting fossil fuels are first counted at the mine, port, refinery or natural gas compressor plant, the processor pays a fee. Some of that fee will be passed on to customers. (In fairness, fees start small and increase predictably over time.) There’s a name for this: “Sending a price signal."
A steadily-increasing carbon price signal makes our economy more and more honest, while making fossil fuels less and less attractive, until we all realize we don’t need or want these outdated fuels in our lives.
Here in the United States, the coming days will have important lasting effects on the future of climate change. The U.S. Congress is right now working on budget reconciliation. Both Republicans and Democrats have significant influence. Parts of this package are being worked out by various bipartisan committees, and each member of Congress will decide whether to actively support, be neutral or even vigorously fight against climate legislation. That’s why your local Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby is circulating a letter to Kentucky faith leaders now to give them a chance to affirm their support. The letter and its signers-to-date can be found at https://bit.ly/2VQXuDk. You know some of these people well.
At Citizen’s Climate Lobby we believe a price on carbon is a necessary component of effective climate action at the scale necessary. We also strongly support that the fee collected go directly to the American people, in equal shares (to spend as they see fit) to act as a leaven and stabilizer throughout our communities. What a wonderful way to bring into being Pope Francis’ affirmation that "all of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation” — Laudato Si'.
Please, plan now to ask your political leaders and faith leaders to support carbon pricing, and thank them for their courage. CCL will deliver their message to government leaders.
Maggie Hettinger is a volunteer member of Citizens Climate Lobby Central and Western Kentucky Chapter. wkyccl@icloud..
