Opinion
Opinion: We need to price carbon pollution

Eric Johnson and Peter Rolnick
Sat, August 19, 2023 

Fossil fuels pollute the air and drive fires, drought, floods and storms. Sustainable energy creates more jobs per kilowatt-hour than do fossil fuels.

We know what to do, but can we do it fast enough?

Economists and climate scientists (including Iowa's own James Hansen, who put climate change on the map by testifying before Congress in the 1980s) believe pricing carbon pollution is the only way we can make these changes quickly enough. Iowa City Climate Advocates supports Carbon Fee and Dividend (CFD): 1) Put a fee on carbon pollution, 2) Pass the money collected directly to households, giving everyone a "carbon cashback," 3) Put a carbon border adjustment in place to insure that US companies can compete overseas.

To put Carbon Fee and Dividend in place we need Congress to act, but members of Congress are skeptical. Carbon Fee and Dividend would raise the cost of dirty energy. Even with the dividend for households, could the burden of higher energy prices increase poverty? Would the increased costs to manufacturing cause a recession?

These are fair questions. Fortunately, they have been answered.

Based on the evidence where carbon pricing has been tried (27 countries) and based on the results of studies, the effect on the economy of carbon pricing is minimal. Some examples and studies show a very slight negative effect, some show a very slight positive effect, some show no net effect, but none show an effect big enough to cause a recession or to increase poverty.

And criticisms of carbon pricing do not take into account the increasingly large negative effect on the economy resulting from climate change. The extreme heat the world has experienced these last few weeks is a reminder of how fast the climate is changing: Air quality in Iowa was too dangerous for outdoor workers a few weeks ago due to wildfires in Canada; temperatures off the coast of Florida reached 101 degrees Fahrenheit and a number of coral reefs in the area died as a result; right now all Iowa is either "abnormally dry" or in drought. Payouts to the agricultural sector for failures due to drought come ultimately from the taxpayer, and this is just one way these changes are harming the economy. And however bad the effects of climate change are to all of us, they hit the poorest especially hard.

Eric Johnson

Lastly, the changes that come with shifting to a sustainable economy will improve our lives. Consider the shift from conventional gas to an electric convection oven. Convection ovens use a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven, resulting in more efficient heat distribution, cooking food 25% faster and at a lower temperature leading to lower energy bills. Convection ovens allow us to prepare meals more quickly and enhance the flavor and texture of food by ensuring that it is cooked evenly — crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Lower energy bills, more free time, tastier food–what's not to like? And with a rebate from the Inflation Reduction Act, you could get a top-rated electric range with a convection oven for just a few hundred dollars.

But the Inflation Reduction Act, helpful as it is, is not enough; we need a price on carbon pollution. Let Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks know that, because you care about supporting our most vulnerable, and because you want to protect our economy from the effects of a changing climate, you want a price on carbon pollution. You can do this in two minutes by going to citizensclimatelobby.org/get-loud-take-action/price-carbon.

And if you'd like to join Iowa Climate Advocates in our efforts to build political will for a price on carbon pollution, go to iowa-city-climate-advocates.org.

Peter Rolnick

Eric Johnson and Peter Rolnick are volunteers with Iowa City Climate Advocates, which Johnson leads.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: We need to price carbon pollution. It's a net benefit.