Climate change is the biggest threat to life on earth. It is responsible for 300,000 deaths a year, 1,000 of which are children, and costs the world economy 125 billion dollars a year. By 2030, when I’m 27, climate change would have already claimed 100 million lives and decreased global economic growth by 3.2%. Along with it costing money and lives, it is also a threat to peace around the world. A study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that natural disasters like droughts and heat waves, which climate change makes more frequent, increase the chances of conflict in a region by 9% and in regions with ethnic conflicts and natural disasters it increases by 23%. This is why combating climate change and transitioning away from fossil fuels is one of my top priorities, and should be the top priority of every elected official around the world.
Mark Jacobson, a Stanford environmental engineer, outlined a 50 state plan to transition the US to 100% renewable energy by 2050. The power grid created by this proposal would be made up of 30.9% onshore wind, 19.1% offshore wind, 30.7% utility-scale photovoltaics, 7.2% …show more content…
To ensure this happens, the government should impose a $20 per ton (or higher) tax on carbon to increase gas prices, and make gas run products like non-electric cars, stoves, and HVACs less affordable, while at the same time decreasing CO2 emissions by 8% over the following decade and raising 1.2 trillion dollars in tax revenue. The government should then try to offset the negative economic effect of a carbon tax by using 35% of the revenue to reduce the deficit, make electric cars more affordable by spending 45% of the revenue on subsidies for companies that make electric cars, and spend the rest of the revenue on refundable tax credits to incentivize Americans to use cars, stoves, and HVACs that run on
Mark Jacobson, a Stanford environmental engineer, outlined a 50 state plan to transition the US to 100% renewable energy by 2050. The power grid created by this proposal would be made up of 30.9% onshore wind, 19.1% offshore wind, 30.7% utility-scale photovoltaics, 7.2% …show more content…
To ensure this happens, the government should impose a $20 per ton (or higher) tax on carbon to increase gas prices, and make gas run products like non-electric cars, stoves, and HVACs less affordable, while at the same time decreasing CO2 emissions by 8% over the following decade and raising 1.2 trillion dollars in tax revenue. The government should then try to offset the negative economic effect of a carbon tax by using 35% of the revenue to reduce the deficit, make electric cars more affordable by spending 45% of the revenue on subsidies for companies that make electric cars, and spend the rest of the revenue on refundable tax credits to incentivize Americans to use cars, stoves, and HVACs that run on