Climate Change Policy Recommendations

The public debate over climate change is one of the most distorted that we observe in the current political environment. Ideas like the Green New Deal are criticized as if they were specific policy recommendations, as opposed to directional aspirations. Other specific recommendations are criticized because they are not in their extreme possible or affordable.

In consideration of the facts and many policy options, we have concluded that there is no silver bullet, no single solution to climate change. In contrast, we truly need an “all of the above” response, at an affordable level, in order to begin to address the problem. Our approach would include implementing all of the known levers, generally as follows:

Rejoin the Paris Agreement and restart the many obligations that the agreement entailed.

Restore the various Obama-era regulations that the Trump administration has sought to reverse.

Implement across-the-board tax incentives for the purchase of electric cars and home installation of other renewable energy sources.

Implement higher federal building standards relating to energy efficiency of buildings.

Implement a carbon tax.

Invest in and incent the development of clean approaches to air conditioning. Tax existing consumption.

Invest in greater mass transit and discourage individual fuel consumption through higher gas taxes.

Use federal resources to finance the investment in renewables as well as the conversion of the remaining coal-generating utilities.

Invest in the development of recapture technology.

Resume the building of nuclear electricity-generating plants.