TIMES RECORD • September 15, 2020
The Maine Climate Council is shaping a strategy to reduce Maine’s contribution to warming and adapt to inevitable adverse shocks. Such farsighted state strategies are critically needed. But since climate change’s causes are global, so must be the solution, and American leadership is crucial. With a climate denier in the White House, Americans face a stark presidential choice this November. Decisive international action will not happen without American leadership. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) proposes a three part strategy: a gradually rising fee on carbon emissions, carbon tax revenues returned to households as equal dividends, and import tariffs to prevent exploitation of by foreign nations that fail to impose a comparable carbon price. I would advocate the CCL’s dividend proposal with an added commitment to global equity. ~ David Vail, professor of economics emeritus, Bowdoin College, and Economics Policy Network, Citizens Climate Lobby