LETTER: Carbon pricing can defeat global warming

I was gratified to read the front-page story about Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent visit to Las Vegas. Her focus was on the dramatic drop in Lake Mead’s water level due to the ongoing severe drought, something we’re all very concerned about. We know climate change is affecting not only Nevada but our entire world.

One need only remember, if we are to combat climate change, we must welcome all strategies that are likely to be effective, regardless of their origin, as this crisis should not be politicized. I was impressed with the thoroughness of the report and appreciated Ms. Harris’s comments on the climate policies promoted by President Joe Biden. Now it is up to Congress to act.

There are many potential strategies in the bipartisan infrastructure bill. One that would be very effective as a catalyst for the others is putting a price on carbon. Carbon pricing would effectively let market forces reduce carbon emissions, and returning the fees collected to American households as dividends would help people deal with potentially higher energy prices. Analyses show that low-income people would benefit the most from the dividends, but another positive outcome of carbon pricing would be the innovation that would occur as companies transition to cleaner forms of energy in order to avoid the annually escalating fees.

We can encourage Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who sits on the Finance Committee in the Senate, to support carbon pricing as an effective accelerant for climate policies. Any policy that effectively addresses climate change will benefit us in the long run by reducing the impact of our worsening drought.