Jen Ross: The cruel irony of climate change

In Paris, global leaders are negotiating agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions and help poor countries adapt to climate shock. Ironically, the poor, who have done the least to cause climate change, will bear the brunt of the devastation. Mitigating the effects of climate change is a worthy goal, but our efforts will be rapidly overwhelmed if greenhouse gasses continue to be spewed into the atmosphere. Our emissions in the U.S. are second only to China’s, despite having only 4.4 percent of the world’s population. So we need to put our own house in order.

The best strategy is to put a gradually rising fee on carbon pollution at the source. That incentive will effectively lower CO2 emissions – blunting the overwhelming climate disruption that harms the world’s poor, including those here in the U.S.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Jen Ross: The cruel irony of climate change."