Letter: Enact carbon tax now
On March 22, NBC 5 News published an article entitled, "With gas prices soaring, new legislation would provide rebate checks to Americans."
Under the bill, called the Stop Gas Price Gouging Tax and Rebate Act, lower income people would be eligible for rebate checks to help defray the rising cost of gasoline. This is very welcome news, indeed.
According to the article the rebates would come as a one-time windfall tax on the oil companies. This will ease the impact of the current rising gas prices due to inflation and the war in Ukraine, but it wouldn't have a long-term, positive impact on reducing climate change.
Admittedly, our current problem of inflation needs to be addressed but we cannot continue to postpone action to stem the rising temperature of the planet.
Switching to sustainable energy such as wind and solar and would reduce our reliance on fossil fuel and provide a more reliable source of energy not controlled by international politics.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report calls carbon pricing "the most powerful and efficient" strategy available to reduce emissions. I support imposing a carbon fee with the dividends collected being returned to people to offset the rising cost of fossil fuel as in the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. The IPCC report warns that our ability to adapt is being outpaced by climate change.
I encourage everyone to act now by contacting their legislators to support legislation that would put a fee on carbon.
Louise Przywara
Libertyville