The United States Should Adopt A Carbon Tax

Today I stand in firm Affirmation of the resolve: The U.S. Federal Government should adopt a carbon tax. We have three main contentions to support our case: 1.If nothing is done to lower CO2 emissions, life on Earth will face serious consequences. 2.A carbon tax can lead to a much needed environmental recovery 3. A carbon tax in the long run, can lead to a safer, more stable united states. If nothing is done to lower CO2 emissions, life on Earth will face serious consequences: The most common effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms, ultimately infringing on the human values of safety and security. These are only a few of many devastating consequences. In the last 200 years alone, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased 30%. On the agricultural scale, crops livestock, and fisheries are negatively impacted. Droughts, heat waves, funguses and insects that thrive in warmer temperatures can cause a reductions in crop yields. A number of states have reported losses of more than 5,000 animals from just a single recent heat wave. In addition to warming waters, which impact fish's ability to reproduce and migrate, the world"s oceans are gradually becoming more acidic due to increases in atmospheric CO2. A carbon tax can lead to a much needed environmental recovery: By implementing a carbon tax in the United States, the second largest emitter of CO2 in 2015, we are ta onmental correspondent of the New York Times, Elisabeth Rosenthal, discusses how in the midst of a tattered economy, Ireland embraced a novel strategy to help reduce its staggering deficit: charging households and businesses for the environmental damage they cause. Environmentally and economically, the new taxes have delivered results. Long one of Europe's highest per-capita producers of greenhouse gases, with levels near those of the United State, Ireland has seen its emissions drop more than fifteen percent since 2008. In 2011 alone, emissions dropped 6.7%, even as the economy grew slightly. According to the Ecologist, at the present rates of consumption, known reserves of natural gas will be exhausted within thirty-five years, and of petroleum within seventy years. However, if these rates continue to grow exponentially, as they have done since 1960, then natural gas will be exhausted within fourteen years, and petroleum within twenty. By adopting a carbon tax, the U.S. federal government will be encouraging the development of and the use of renewable resources, leading to a safer and more stable future. A carbon tax in the long run, can lead to a safer, more stable united states: Compared with fossil fuel technologies, which are typically mechanized and capital intensive, the renewable energy industry is more labor intensive. This means that on average, more jobs are created for each unit of electricity generated from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. For example in 2011, the wind industry directly employed 75,000 full time equivalent employees, In 2011, the solar industry employed approximately 100,000 people on a part time or full time basis, while the hydro electric power industry employed approximately 250,000 people in 2009, and in 2010 the geothermal industry employed 5,200 people. By adopting a carbon tax, the united states is taking the right step towards a healthier, and more stable future.