Unite behind a carbon tax

Solving the challenges of flooding in Houston and surrounding communities in the face of rising sea levels and increasing frequency of extreme weather events is not for the faint of heart. Adapting and remediating our infrastructure, housing and economy in a way that is just and equitable to those most vulnerable will be difficult at best and very expensive. The cost of corrective action is well beyond what municipal governments can or should have to handle on their own.

As much as we appreciate a smaller national government in some regards, these are difficult times, and we need the federal government to take the lead. That means implementing a tax on carbon emissions.

Infrastructure improvements alone are not enough in this changing climate. We need to draw down carbon pollution. A well-constructed tax can serve as an economic solution to reduce our carbon emissions and sequester carbon pollution, actions that can help reduce the disastrous effects of extreme weather events.

The urgency of the situation we find ourselves dealing with is soft-pedaled by fiscal conservatives and wary politicians, but we must take action now.

There are currently more than 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, and as the non-profit 350.org has stated, we need to be below 350 ppm to avoid catastrophic climate change. We need to reduce the carbon pollution in our atmosphere.

Paul Hawkin, author of the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming, has said to members of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), a group working tirelessly to generate the political will needed to implement climate action, that putting a price on carbon is one of the most effective ways to reduce it.

Economist Bob Litterman, in speaking at a Union of Concerned Scientists panel at Rice University last spring, said creating a market-driven solution by pricing carbon is the only way to create the necessary changes in a timely manner.

Even major oil and gas companies, such as ExxonMobil, have come around to support a carbon tax.

Putting a price on carbon would be difficult to implement one city, one state at a time. To balance border trade issues, to make it fair and equitable for all citizens, this critical economic solution really needs to be incorporated at the federal level. And it needs to be a bipartisan solution, since it affects all of us now as it will also affect our grandchildren in the future.

In November, members from local chapters of CCL met with Mayor Sylvester Turner’s staff, seeking his signature on a letter urging our local representatives to join the House of Representatives Climate Solutions Caucus. This bipartisan caucus currently has 70 members, 35 Democrats and 35 Republicans, but Texas is sadly not yet represented. We feel strongly that at a minimum, Houston representatives should be at the table, helping to shape effective policy that addresses carbon pollution mitigation while assuring that the fourth largest city in the nation remains its energy capital.

To date we have no letter signed. City Hall staff has stated that there has been no time to address this request, as they are still dealing with the havoc created by Hurricane Harvey, a truly daunting task. We understand the need to focus on the most pressing issues, but implementing a strategic carbon-reduction plan is urgent and immediate. It is our sincere hope that our local government officials have the foresight to actively seek a broader solution to a burgeoning crisis and that they do so soon.

Wolfe is the Houston Briar-Memorial chapter lead for Houston Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Handley is the cofounder of 350.org Houston.