The May 20 commentary on climate geoengineering (“Climate Change Backup Plan”) described a technique for controlling the warming climate that must never be used. This is the process of shooting large amounts of sulfates (sulfur dioxide) into the upper atmosphere.
What happens is the droplets become an aerosol of sulfuric acid which then reflects incoming solar energy back into space, thus lowering Earth’s temperature. Since this would last only a few years, there would need to be a continuing program to keep doing this. Fighting pollution with more pollution is not the way to stop climate change.
There is a simple solution to this problem that does not require jeopardizing the entire Earth. That is by adding an increasing fee on all oil, gas and coal as it is being extracted or imported and then returning all of the collected money to the citizens to offset their increased costs. This revenue-neutral approach is advocated by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
The respected and politically independent Regional Economic Modeling Inc. analysis of the carbon fee-and-dividend showed that it would create 2.8 million new jobs, boost the economy $80 billion to $90 billion, save more than 13,000 lives annually and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 percent by 2035.
This approach will create all of the incentives needed for individuals and corporations to solve the climate change threat to all of us. It does not require any dangerous geoengineering but does require something that seems to be perhaps more difficult. It requires Congress to understand the problem and have the will to act.
ROD ELDER
South Park
First Published: May 28, 2015, 4:00 a.m.