Solution to the crisis

Concerned scientists are predicting that the flash floods we experienced recently to be a problem that will intensify as our world gets warmer. Global warming from coal, gas, and methane is causing our oceans to heat, coral and other sea life to die, and makes the ocean temperatures create evaporation faster than our atmosphere can contain. This causes intense rain and snowstorms around the world.

Scientists expect the amount of rainfall during the heaviest precipitation events to increase 40 percent by the end of the century. Since our planet is in a warming cycle, caused by the emissions of fossil fuels, it will take longer than 100 years to get the earth back to a healthy temperature.

One solution being discussed in a congressional caucus would give citizens incentive to use less energy, but does not affect the economy. This idea called the fee/dividend solution would collect a fee from companies extracting fossil fuels from the ground. Products are expected to go up in price as companies reimburse themselves of the fee imposed producing their product. The consumer will be compensated for these higher prices with a dividend distributed equally in the form of a monthly or quarterly check. This equal distribution will in most cases be more than enough to compensate for the expected higher prices. Customers will have incentive to buy products that use less fossil fuel, and companies making products using fossil fuel will invest in renewable sources of energy to make their products more desirable.

Sen. John Boozman is in favor of using incentives instead of taxes to encourage citizens to conserve energy. The bipartisan fee/dividend idea might be an idea our Senator Boozman can support. MARGARET COFFEY

Fayetteville