College student Connor Ransom’s Feb. 8 opinion column (“Maine’s recent storms tell us climate action cannot wait”) reflects a justified anxiety on the part of the rising generation who will be left holding the bag when the boomers leave the scene of the crime. Bravo for this call to action!

We all need to join forces and compel Congress to take bold climate action, all of which should start with putting a price on carbon pollution. There’s a brilliant policy for doing this swiftly, equitably and effectively by shifting the economy off polluting fuels and onto green alternatives. It is referred to as “cash-back carbon pricing,” and entails fees charged to fossil fuel producers for the CO2 generated in burning the fuels; collecting all fees and returning them equally to every American household monthly. This economic maneuver would swiftly reduce demand for, and thus burning of, fossil fuels.

The Energy Innovation Act (HR 5744) is before the U.S. House and can be supported by contacting Reps. Pingree and Golden, as well as contacting Sens. King and Collins to request a Senate bill.

While it is not a silver bullet, carbon pricing is the foundation we as a nation need in order to address the basic problem behind global warming: our insistence on continued reliance on fossil fuels.

Cynthia Stancioff
Camden

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