“Greenhouse gases” have reached a very dangerous level, worldwide. The science is clear; it’s not a hoax. Eighty-five percent of the world’s industrial energy comes from fossil fuels, and that causes temperatures to rise and rise. During the recent Paris climate accord meeting, Trump declared their goal was not “to save the environment. It was designed to kill the American economy.”
“C’mon, man,” President-elect Biden urged, climate is no hoax. It is a Biden-administration top priority, after COVID, to reduce carbon gas emissions. And, when new habits, industry and new R&D meet the challenge, people will use less fossil fuel (carbon). The current cap and trade strategy, to raise the cost of carbon emissions through a “tax,” or a system of “permits,” is not supported by Republicans. Biden will propose an alternate strategy.
And temperatures continue to rise. It will cost billions of dollars to reduce carbon gases. But, it will cost more lives, fires and flood disasters, if we do not confront this worldwide challenge, and soon. Biden has proposed to spend as much as $300 billion on “green” R&D and venture capital, and to change how energy is generated and used, over the next four years. Biden will rejoin the Paris accord in January.
C’mon, man, make America carbon neutral by 2050.
Carl Evensen, State College
This article originally appeared in the Centre Daily Times.