- Market push. The market will drive innovation once a price is attached to carbon. We won’t be doing science projects then! If I lose the gift of belching carbon into the air, my old-technology company may be beaten by your newtechnology firm. But look what competition has brought us with computers, cell phones and every kind of gadget. Anybody pining for the days of black and white TV?
- Strengthen manufacturing. China and India must be subject to carbon restrictions. If they don’t comply, let’s put a carbon tariff on their goods as they enter the U.S. Ah, one less reason to manufacture overseas! China has 1.3 billion people. India has a billion people. It’s fine for them to have the advantage of cheaper labor. It’s wrong for them to have the advantage of cheaper air.
- Improve national security. While we’re cleaning the air and creating jobs with new technologies, we’ll also be improving the national security of the United States. Homemade fuels will break our addiction to foreign oil, and we’ll stop funding terrorists when we buy gasoline.
- Improve our image. When you’re the world’s only superpower, you need to act more like Roger Milliken and less like Donald Trump. Mr. Milliken is the only billionaire who’s ever been to my house. He’s a gentleman and he’s generous. On climate change the world is asking: “Are you Americans more like Milliken or Trump?” The answer will have a direct effect on our military budget.
Science Committee trips to Antarctica have convinced me that climate change is real, that humans are contributing to the problem and that we need to take action. A number of people aren’t convinced just yet and think that it’s all a natural cycle that we humans can’t affect. But if we can take action and actually improve our lives, why wouldn’t we want to act?
No comments:
Post a Comment