Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

[Azvanna]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

Rhythm, I'm so glad to have met you. I hope that you will be somehow involved in America's introduction and transition to the Green New Deal.

I'll be back with more thoughts soon, I really want to give this the time it deserves. I'm not as well practised at some of quickly converting ideas into the written word.

[Rhythm]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

No worries. Take all the time you need. That;s the point of the thread, right. To help you practice a slick and comprehensive presentation that leaves no room to wonder wiggle or waffle.

LOL, I hope we come up with a green new deal for me to plug into, personally. I'm not convinced or even hopeful that we will. I think that it's much more likely that the US response will be bottom up, rather than top down. That's been the most productive and least disruptive avenue thusfar. Decoupling the issue from partisan politics, making it a matter of practicality and engineering rather than activism and theory.

A green new deal probably isn't an economic or even an ecological necessity, but it is a national security issue and a lifeline to rural and urban blight. The affected industries will eventually die a thoroughly natural death, so we'd best get to some hardcore industrial planning before the problem arises. Nobody wants to have to search for a flashlight in the dark, right?

[Azvanna]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

So Rythm I have been thinking about your post every day. So here I am for the upteenth time reading everything through. So many good points and I want to address the main objections you have which can be summed up here:

This must, by necessity be coupled with a specific transition plan for affected industry.

Which you identify as being small businesses and agriculture. Right? I've been reading through the Australian Climate Dividend Plan document and I can't find anything that specifically address how businesses are expected to transition. So I sent an email to my regional co-ordinator.

You make so many great points in this post, especially this one:

It's my position, and not without some considerable demonstration, that the majority of the green space is cover for political ideology. Not a practical roadmap to a better future.

This carbon fee is what I hope could accelerate and be part of the the roadmap to a better future.

It does seem as though consumer trends are heading towards renewables without much government intervention. I'd love to hurry it up though. I'm hoping that's what a carbon fee might do. An electric car in my country is three times my annual salary. I could install solar panels on my roof but I'm only going to be here for 3 years and so I won't even pay them off before I move. I can't afford to make many changes to my lifestyle right now with infrastructure the way it is at the moment. I do the best I can with what I have and am hoping to influence changes so that I have better access to green choices.

[Rhythm]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

Small business and ag are good barometers for whether or not a plan actually has a plan, yeah. Small businesses represent the most vulnerable, and ag is (usually) one of the highest producers of greenhouse gasses.

Things like easier access to sba loans and/or generous tax credits for transition. Subsidy to low footprint ag production models. Things that actually make some green thing less expensive to the consumer, rather than making some dirty thing more expensive.

As you noted, the price of an electric car is three times your salary, but a carbon tax isn't going to make it more feasible or economic for you to buy an electric car rather than continue to use your gas one. You don't need convincing or nudging, you need access. I suspect that this is the situation that the vast majority of green minded consumers are in. It's the same for any business.

[Azvanna]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

Okay Rhythm, I'm just going to copy and paste the reply your question got from my regional co-ordinator and then make observations:

https://au.citizensclimatelobby.org/...nthly-meeting/

So a couple of key statements here: This carbon price is intended to drive innovation. It's the pressure of dealing with the cost that is to spark problem solving efforts.
Farmers and small businesses have the pathway to lobby Members of Parliament/Senators as needed.

[Azvanna]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

I really like the meta of the carbon tax and dividend. It encourages global participation and a push and pull between corporate behaviour and consumer choices.

[Rhythm]

Re: Climate change discussion (practise for Azvanna)

It's a gas tax. There won't be a dividend, global participation, or any push and pull.

I like the idea of a carbon tax too.