Carbon tax is essential to addressing climate change

Thank you for the Sept. 9 Hartstein column highlighting the Northbrook Climate Action Plan. This plan included community input at every step and is ambitious. Near the end, Hartstein characterizes the climate emergency as something which we all must address at broader levels. I agree.

Coincidentally, the next day the US Senate Finance Committee stated they were "considering a potential tax on fossil fuels of $15 a ton," an action that "would be paired with rebates for low-income taxpayers and a border adjustment tax aimed at ensuring foreign companies don't get an advantage." This tax-rebate would pay for itself and is supported by over 3,000 economists, as well as most US citizens, both Republicans and Democrats, across our country. Forty other developed nations already have a tax in place. Why don't we?

A carbon tax brings anyone who buys anything into the climate solution effort because when something is more expensive, we use less of it. The faster we address the climate crisis, the less it will cost us in the long run.

President Biden's goal is a 50% reduction of carbon pollution by 2030, but proposed regulations only get us to 45% per Majority Leader Schumer's calculations. Recent continuous climate disasters illustrate that we cannot wait a moment longer to unleash bold action to slow climate change. More intense hurricanes in the South and East coupled with continuous wildfires out West impact our insurance costs, healthy air, commerce, and extended families.

We need to ask our members of Congress to GO BIG on climate and charge a fee on carbon pollution in the Build Back Better package. This will save money, lives, increase jobs and save the future for our children.

Mary Hansen

Northbrook