Raise the price of carbon, then send everyone a check in the mail?

I recently attended a presentation from the Citizens Climate Lobby group. They are a group that helps citizens organize around climate change through politics. Marc Reynolds, Executive Director of Citizens Climate Lobby, gave a great speech about how citizens can get involved and make a difference.

He talked about the CCL's Carbon Fee and Dividend Proposal, which is actually very simple. If we increase (tax) carbon, that will make it easier for people to choose renewable or clean energy, or conserve what they use. He used smoking as a successful example of how increasing the tax on cigarettes has led to a reduction in smokers. Reducing carbon is no different. If we want to reduce the impact of climate change, we need to reduce our carbon usage. Therefore, we need to figure out a way to accurately price carbon, based upon its impact on the environment. Today, no one has to pay for the impact of carbon, so it gets treated equally in the open market as other sources of energy that are less damaging to the environment. All this would make it a fair playing field.

Here is an overview video:


But won't this increase the cost of electricity and gasoline for everyone? Yes it will. That is why they are proposing to take the taxed income, and send it back to the people to offset their increased utility and gas costs. Then over time, that amount would be less and less, as we replace carbon energy with better sources of energy.

The other good approach is that the tax will increase steadily over time, so that there is a clear path in the future that shows what the price will be, and it eases people into the additional cost. Businesses can invest in different energy with some confidence, and the price impact to all of us is more gradual. After 10 years, they feel it would be priced more appropriately.

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea. It actually appeals to both Republicans and Democrats, whereas other climate bills and legislation have been proposed by one side or the other. If I hear any updates, I'll post them here.

No air conditioning in Florida?

We did it! We managed to go an entire year in Florida without any air conditioning! It was one of the tougher things we have ever taken on, and I'm not sure if I would do it again...

The good news is that we were able to save over $1000 in electricity bills, when comparing our bills to the average in prior years (Feb-Oct which are the primary months for A/C usage):

 How did we do it?

1) Determination - We both agreed and committed to doing it before the summer started, and we had to rely on each other when it got really hot outside, and we were sweating in the middle of the night. Florida had an especially hot and long summer in 2009, which made it even tougher. It takes a special woman to even consider this idea, let alone agree to try it.

2) Use natural cooling - Everyday we opened up the garage door and all windows, and allowed the wind to provide most of the cooling by allowing the wind to blow through the house without obstruction. We also kept the shades down, to keep the inside from getting too warm.

3) Cold showers - Whenever it got too warm, we'd jump into the showers for a quick cool down. If you don't heat up the water, it's really cold, and the shock to the system was enough to get us by for a few more hours.

This summer, we don't plan to go completely without air conditioning, but we know we can greatly minimize its use by using the techniques above. We'll be in Iowa, so the heat won't be around as long as it is in Florida.

Could we do the same thing in Iowa in the winter and go without heat? Not a chance. I think we would need a fireplace to even consider that option.

This was really rewarding, and I felt like we really made a difference. Most of our friends thought we were crazy or thought it was physically impossible, so that made it even better when it was all over.