I am deeply dismayed about…

I am deeply dismayed about the cancellation of the cap and trade program. Putting a price on carbon that increases over time is one of the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A price on carbon is key for both businesses and individuals to reduce their use of fossil fuels, stimulate innovation and nudge individuals to make more sustainable choices. We intend to purchase an electric vehicle, but being retired it will likely take 5 years to save for it given the current prices. We could buy it sooner with a significant rebate.

Climate change is the most important issue of our time and since I have 2 children, I care deeply about what kind of future they will have. I think about this issue every day and fight hard to remain hopeful. Climate change requires all of us working together and when programs that were working are scrapped, we lose precious time and confidence in our government. I never saw the cap and trade program as a "cash grab". As a middle class person I am willing to pay into the collective pot to enable the government to tackle emissions over which as an individual I have little control, namely the heating of buildings and transportation. I do my part every day and have just replaced my windows and insulated our 60 year old home, but I am well aware that change must happen on a systems level.

I am confident that there will be sufficient jobs in renewable energy so that the burden of decarbonization is not on the backs of workers involved in the production of fossil fuels. We must however, stop thinking of renewable energy as a "cottage industry". Replacing fossil fuels will require a variety of alternatives, scaling up, and having local power generation that is publicly or cooperatively managed. Let's take our policy cues from the Nordic countries and Germany, in particular, their ability to provide for the common good, reduce energy use and yet maintain decent standards of living.