The United States is now sadly the lone holdout in the Paris climate accord (Syria recently signed up). When I posted this information on my Facebook wall, a commenter responded, “The U.S. is the only sane country out of all of them. Why should we be expected to spend money on this issue?”
My answer is that without a habitable Earth, money or nothing else really matters. Fossil fuels are not only polluting, they are finite, and will not last forever. Not being in the Paris climate accord is a missed opportunity for the U.S. to be the leader on renewable energy technologies that will give us hope to reduce carbon emissions. The U.S. can also follow in Canada’s footsteps and enact a carbon tax and dividend that would encourage industries to use cleaner sources of energy and boost the economy as well.
There are plenty of solutions out there — we need to finally get serious about this issue. Sustainable life on this planet depends on it.
