As humans, we have evolved to handle immediate life-threatening crises, and we do that very well. Our longer-term emergency responses are not so well developed though we are capable of understanding that to tackle a planet-sized problem, we need very big strategies. We need to participate in discussions about wide-ranging policy capable of influencing our greenhouse gas related habits as a species. One such policy is carbon pricing.
On Friday, April 4, Blue Hill voters will have an opportunity to vote on whether we, as a community, would like to encourage our members of Congress to enact a federal system of carbon pricing that would disincentivize the burning of fossil fuels, stimulate a shift to renewables, and pay dividends regularly and equally to all legal U.S. residents. The “cashback carbon-pricing” policy, also known as a carbon fee and dividend, has been endorsed by over 3,300 economists as an effective market-based tool to address fossil fuel overuse.
Carbon pricing is considered to be a fundamental step toward any effective devisable climate strategy. It seeks to adjust the cost of carbon based fuels to include their “externalities” such as air pollution, extreme weather, oil spills, health issues including asthma, heart disease and premature death so that the market demand for them decreases. With a carbon fee and dividend, fees for CO2 production would be paid by fuel producers as they introduce their product onto the market.
These fees “at the source” would eventually affect most goods as the producers pass the cost on, prompting industry to conserve power and adopt alternative power sources. The demand for fossil fuels would decrease in the consumer economy, and greenhouse gas emissions would decline proportionately.
If Blue Hill passes the resolution, our town would be joining 30 other Maine communities that have passed similar ones, including Appleton, Arrowsic, Arundel, Bangor, Belfast, Belgrade, Brunswick, Camden, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Fairfield, Falmouth, Farmington, Freeport, Gray, Hampden, Harpswell, Kennebunk, Mount Vernon, Orono, Portland, Readfield, Rockland, Saco, South Portland, Starks, Vienna, Vinalhaven, Wate...
On Friday, April 4, Blue Hill voters will have an opportunity to vote on whether we, as a community, would like to encourage our members of Congress to enact a federal system of carbon pricing that would disincentivize the burning of fossil fuels, stimulate a shift to renewables, and pay dividends regularly and equally to all legal U.S. residents. The “cashback carbon-pricing” policy, also known as a carbon fee and dividend, has been endorsed by over 3,300 economists as an effective market-based tool to address fossil fuel overuse.
Carbon pricing is considered to be a fundamental step toward any effective devisable climate strategy. It seeks to adjust the cost of carbon based fuels to include their “externalities” such as air pollution, extreme weather, oil spills, health issues including asthma, heart disease and premature death so that the market demand for them decreases. With a carbon fee and dividend, fees for CO2 production would be paid by fuel producers as they introduce their product onto the market.
These fees “at the source” would eventually affect most goods as the producers pass the cost on, prompting industry to conserve power and adopt alternative power sources. The demand for fossil fuels would decrease in the consumer economy, and greenhouse gas emissions would decline proportionately.
If Blue Hill passes the resolution, our town would be joining 30 other Maine communities that have passed similar ones, including Appleton, Arrowsic, Arundel, Bangor, Belfast, Belgrade, Brunswick, Camden, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Fairfield, Falmouth, Farmington, Freeport, Gray, Hampden, Harpswell, Kennebunk, Mount Vernon, Orono, Portland, Readfield, Rockland, Saco, South Portland, Starks, Vienna, Vinalhaven, Wate...
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The Weekly Packet (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 13, 2025