Action, Not Talk

As a Jewish climate activist, I was pleased to see the tight causal linkages drawn by the Forward between climate change and Hurricane Sandy in the November 9 editorial “Sandy’s Lessons.” The Forward, unlike many media outlets, clearly and responsibly informed its readers about the causes of Hurricane Sandy and illustrated how Sandy was a symptom of anthropogenic global warming. I was, however, disappointed to see that after a clear explanation of the issue, the Forward did not advance any solutions, opting for a vague call for action.

There are already multiple policy options under consideration, most prominently a flat tax on tons of emitted carbon. This tax could be paired with a dividend scheme, which distributes the funds on a per capita basis to American citizens, in the same manner that the state of Alaska deals with oil royalties. Another option on the table is a mandated tariff scheme, which forces power providers to purchase renewable energy at steadily declining rates.

My point is that the solutions to climate change are already here. We know what to do, it is simply a matter of building the political will to do it.

Nathan Schumer New York

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