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Global warming effects take time

What do emphysema and global warming have in common? Both have a delayed onset. With emphysema it is in decades, while global warming takes effect over a much longer timeframe. This was recently made visually obvious by journalist Allen Best giving a presentation in support of carbon fees to combat global warming. He started his talk reminiscing about his mountaineering days having climbed numerous peaks all over Colorado. Yet, he also smoked for 23 years, knowing full well about the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning. Fifteen years after his last cigarette, he now carries with him an oxygen bottle while asking Coloradans to take global warming seriously.

At the onset of the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, carbon dioxide was at 280 ppm. Due to the relentless burning of fossil fuels, it surpassed 400 ppm last year. With increases of 2-3 ppm/year, carbon dioxide will approach the upper safe limit of 450 ppm within 15 to 20 years, which means the clock is ticking. Scientists have researched the effect of carbon dioxide over millions of years past, and we know that our planet’s climate will change drastically as carbon dioxide exceeds this threshold in our atmosphere. As with emphysema, there is a time lag, with future generations taking the full brunt of global warming.

Why would a carbon fee reduce carbon dioxide? First, such a fee is a market-based approach that charges for the actual cost of polluting the atmosphere. Such a fee can be compared with trash disposal – a service we all pay for. A carbon fee essentially works the same way. Instead of dumping carbon dioxide into our common atmosphere for free, resulting in massive costs later on, a “carbon dumping” fee would be established. This would level the playing field between different technologies and spur innovation and creativity. Simultaneously, we could eliminate all energy-related subsidies, be they for fossil fuels or renewables, a free market approach. Now, with Republicans in charge of the House and the Senate, they could act on what 78 percent of Americans realize is a serious threat: global warming.

Werner Heiber

Durango



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