Des Orsinelli: If representatives won’t vote for carbon fee, vote them out

Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate in economics, said “We’re not going to solve this (climate change) problem unless we get global political action. We’re not going to get global political action unless the U.S. Congress passes strong environmental legislation. That’s the starting point for everything.”

Krugman’s right. And it’s time to speak with our votes. To be clear, anybody who votes for someone that is, at best, quiet on climate change risks sharing the responsibility for Congressional inaction. The time for waiting is over. With a small but annually increasing fee on carbon, we can reduce fossil fuel emissions by 50 percent over a few decades while adding only about 5 percent to the cost of living (or less if energy breakthroughs occur).

This seems a small price to pay to ensure the poles remain frozen, the oceans habitable, our ag land watered and to be heroes to our children. Congress: rise to the occasion, or kindly step aside.

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Des Orsinelli: If representatives won’t vote for carbon fee, vote them out."