In his Oct. 17 column (“The View From Here: We need big government to fight climate change”) Greg Kesich writes that, while less meat eating and flying less help reduce carbon emissions, the greatest need is for systemic change. President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, currently under negotiation in Congress, aims for that sort of economy-wide systemic change. Unfortunately, Senator Manchin opposes the mix of incentives and penalties designed to push electricity suppliers to switch to renewable fuels.

In the face of this opposition, Mr. Kesich encourages us to lean strongly on our representatives to support Biden’s plan, but he stops short of mentioning that a price on carbon remains under active consideration for inclusion in the plan. Most economists believe a carbon fee on fossil fuel producers, coupled with a “carbon dividend” rebated to all Americans, may be even more effective than the proposed government mandates at the center of the Biden plan. Many studies suggest it could be the most painless and most effective way to transition off fossil fuels. Painless because the money collected would be refunded to ordinary citizens, offsetting the burden of the tax. And effective because cleaner fuels and products would become more affordable.

It is not too late to contact President Biden and our members of Congress and specifically ask that the plan include a price on carbon. In the words of Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island, a longtime proponent of carbon pricing, “it is plan B and a better one.”

Paul Perkins
Bath

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