Businesses, the media and politicians have realized that we need to act now to slow climate change as scientists and economists have been advocating for decades. Nations producing 70 percent of the world’s GDP have set the goal of having net zero emissions by 2050. The question now is whether this is possible. The June 12 Economist ‘s article (“Bunged up: How the green boom could get stuck”) points out that only 10 percent of the infrastructure needed to meet the 2030 interim goal is in place.

The Economist questions whether businesses, now realizing the necessity and profitability of changing to renewables, can react quickly enough to accomplish these goals. Huge business enterprises need predictability to go full scale toward such goals. Extensive regulations, partially motivated by politics, make it difficult to meet these carbon goals. The Economist says that the key to making these changes happen is a carbon price which will “embed market signals into millions of everyday commercial decisions and give entrepreneurs and investors more visibility over a long – term horizon.”

In our House of Representatives, there is a bill LD 2307, The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This has a gradually increasing carbon price and sends the money to Americans in a monthly check. This check will more than cover the increased price of fossil fuels for lower income Americans and help the rest of Americans until the switch to renewables happens. Please ask Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden to pass this legislation now.

Nancy Hasenfus
Brunswick

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