Conservative approach to climate change could save planet without destroying economy

“At the end of the day, I do believe that the CO2 emission problem all over the world is hurting our environment.”

This statement comes from none other than outspoken Republican Senator Lindsay Graham. Despite the fact that working towards climate change legislation is often associated with elected officials on the left, most senators and representatives on both side of the aisle, as well as the general public, acknowledge the existence and severity of climate change. The difference between the two sides, as is the case with many issues, arises in how to solve the evident problem with legislation.

To finish off his quote, Graham says, “But the solution is a pro-business solution to a lower carbon economy”. Senator Graham is absolutely right, and the very brand of solution he defines has been introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 763, The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019.

This bill would, in effect, impose upon fuel producers or importers a fee on the carbon content of all fuels that, when used, emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The money collected by this fee, would then be distributed to U.S. citizens and lawful residents in the form of a carbon dividend. In just 12 years this policy would reduce America’s emissions by at least 40 percent, while placing money directly into the pockets of the American people, and inevitably adding jobs to the U.S. economy in the expanding renewable energy market. While it seems that we have nearly hit the ceiling on what nonrenewable resources can do for our economy, renewable resources have clearly demonstrated the potential to be far more profitable.

The majority of Americans support Congress taking action on climate change, but too often only hear of solutions like the recently proposed Green New Deal, which spends trillions of taxpayer dollars without supporting the economy. As a Republican, I support low taxes and protection of the free market. A carbon dividend not only does not raise taxes, but gives the taxpayer money, while also using the free market to combat the dangers of global warming. While I realize that it is no secret that Kentucky is coal country, this piece of legislation would not eliminate coal jobs entirely, and would actually add thousands of jobs throughout the Commonwealth in renewable energy fields, and would increase the average monthly income of Kentuckians by hundreds of dollars.

American citizens need to look no further than to the deadly Australian bush fires to notice that our planet is in crisis. As we watch ice caps melt, species go extinct, and greenhouse gases continue to pollute the air we breathe, conservatives especially must take this problem seriously and understand that there is a way to solve this problem without spending 13 digits of taxpayer money. Now that, for the most part, the American public has accepted the existence of climate change and its consequences, we must now accept that solutions which would multiply our national debt are unrealistic, and work toward the solutions that would not only avoid damaging our economy, but that could actually boost it.

Stephen Hillenmeyer is a junior at Western Kentucky University studying political science and English and currently serving as a conservative student fellow with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.