Want citizens to care about climate change? Write them a cheque

If citizens think they’ll personally and financially benefit from a carbon tax, maybe politicians would take action. Climate scientists insist in a recent report that fundamental changes in how energy is consumed and supplied are urgently required to avoid serious damage to life and property from rising temperatures , rising sea levels and greater frequency of extreme weather events (hurricanes, drought-induced wildfires, etc.) . Governments worldwide have barely managed to work towards the modest commitments under the Paris climate accord, and it’s not enough to address the problem. Climate initiatives are currently under siege from major polluters. The United States and Australia have organized pro-coal events amid climate talks , carbon emissions are increasing again while new political regimes in Brazil and Saudi Arabia have shown worrying signs of climate skepticism. Why is it so difficult for politicians around the world to take the necessary steps to deal with the climate crisis? Experts commonly offer two options to address climate change: Flexible regulations on polluting sectors like electricity and transportation, and carbon pricing that reflects the indirect cost of pollution. These are justified economically, since mitigating climate change can result in popular sustainable development opportunities, create new jobs , […]

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