Dear Editor:
What is a livable world worth?
In a March 23 letter to the editor, Don Shaw suggested it would do little good to reduce our carbon emissions because our country only contributes 15 percent of the world's total. But we produce twice as much per person as China and eight times as much as India and we have been a large emitter for much longer. If we don't honor our climate-change commitments we made in Paris, why would other countries meet theirs? Why would we want to break an agreement negotiated between 195 nations that is needed to protect the quality of life on our only planet?
Many countries do more than we do to slow climate change. China leads in renewable energy investment. In 2011, China began a cap-and-trade program to limit carbon emissions. In 2017, they will expand cap and trade nationally. China has goals to significantly increase hydroelectric, solar and wind energy by 2017 and to reduce electric production from coal to 65 percent. By contrast, Missouri produces around 80 percent of our electricity from coal.
Even before the Paris Agreement, 164 countries had targets for clean energy. Worldwide, renewables produced 28 percent of the power in 2014 and the amount is increasing. India is close behind us in consolidated solar investment, and it ranks fourth globally in solar water heating investments. Denmark leads the world in renewable energy per capita and Germany has the most solar per person.
The bigger point is we all face serious consequences if we do nothing. Global temperature records show disturbing upward trends. February 2016 was by far hotter than any monthly average since modern record keeping began in 1880 and 10 of the hottest years on record were this century. Climate change is causing rainfall extremes, record flooding and increasingly violent storms. As temperatures rise, this will only get worse.
Research by Citizens' Climate Lobby shows how a revenue-neutral carbon fee that returns all revenue to households would encourage renewable energy investments. Moving to clean energy can occur gradually as we replace aging facilities. By taking advantage of sun, wind and water, fuel costs will drop dramatically. The lights will stay on and the transition can be affordable.
The Paris agreement should give us hope that nations are willing to work together so that we can have a livable planet. We shouldn't let naysayers diminish that hope.
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