Without Paris, A Carbon Price Is Critical

Forget the Paris accord. Here’s what can really fight climate change.

Michael Gerson, June 5, 2017 (Washington Post)

“…[The President claims the Paris climate agreement’s] relatively modest, entirely voluntary agreement that essentially maintains the current momentum of reductions in carbon emissions would somehow destroy the U.S. economy. It wouldn’t. Some [Paris agreement] advocates seem to imply that a relatively modest, entirely voluntary agreement that essentially maintains the current momentum of reductions in carbon emissions would somehow save the world. It can’t…Here is the climate bottom line, as far as science can currently describe it: In order to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and thus avoid the worst climate disruption, it will be necessary to keep more than 80 percent of existing coal reserves in the ground, unexploited…[The best hope for keeping hydrocarbons in the ground is for non-carbon-based alternatives] to cost less. Putting a price (such as a tax) on carbon emissions would help…[To avoid the worst climate disruption, we need] massive, urgent, strategic, public and private investment in energy research and development…[Trump did not] propose this rather obvious, market-oriented alternative to the Paris agreement…” click here for more

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