While discussion of the Trump administrations decision with withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement continue, many powerful American corporations, NGOs, politicians from both sides of the aisle, and individuals have announced their support for the Climate Leadership Council’s carbon dividend proposal.
The CLC proposal includes a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, a return of tax revenues to American citizens as a dividend payment and some climate regulation rollbacks. It is suggested that implementing the CLC plan could reduce emissions far more than the current US trajectory — with or without support from the Trump administration.
But the story isn’t about the proposal. The story begs the question: if businesses and Republicans are on board, why won’t the administration step up to protect our environment?
Some of the companies and individuals in support of this proposal include General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Proctor and Gamble, BP, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, James Baker III (Secretary of State under George H. W. Bush), former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, physicist Stephen Hawking, George Shultz (former Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan) and Rob Walton (former Chairman of Walmart).
At least 365 brand name companies support efforts to keep global temperatures in check, including General Mills, DuPont Loreal, Nike, Hewlett Packard and Kellogg. And while carbon emissions are generally falling in the United States (the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are about 9% below the 2005 levels), we could be doing so much more to protect the planet for future generations.
How much pressure, and what sort, is enough for the Trump administration to re-evaluate its position when it comes to sustainability and climate change?
As big businesses begins to take a stand for sustainable efforts and improved practices in order to better protect the environment, we can only hope that those in government will start to hear the voices of reason. That climate change is real and we can do something about the damage we have caused, and continue to cause, to our planet.