Citizens Climate Lobby: Promoting Carbon Fee and Dividend

Many thanks to the Grand Marais City Council for unanimously passing a resolution of support for Carbon Fee and Dividend on January 11. Your thoughtful decision provides needed support for the ongoing work to reduce the negative effects of carbon emissions locally and globally.

I recently became a member of our local Citizens Climate Lobby here in Cook County, ably led by Rebecca Wiinanen and George Wilkes. I’ve been impressed by this grassroots organization that aims to influence Congress to change environmental policy. The Lobby’s single purpose and laser-like focus is to get Congress to pass legislation that puts a fee on carbon emissions and returns the money collected by those fees directly back to citizens.

Putting a price on carbon emissions is a key climate change solution endorsed by climate scientists James E. Hansen, Katherine Hayhoe, and Daniel Kammen, and CCL advisory board member, former secretary of state, George Schulz. Active groups exist in the U.S. (341 to date) and in countries all around the word, including Australia, Brazil, Italy, Chili, Germany, Canada, etc. We all are aware now of changes that have been happening to our climate both globally and locally—increased drought, storm surge, excessive heat, melting ice caps/higher sea levels, etc. Climate change threatens the basic elements of life—access to water, food production, health, use of land and the environment. Locally we are experiencing a longer fall season and more ice in the winter due to uneven temperatures to name just a few changes. This has a direct impact on many of our businesses dependent on winter recreation.

So what can we do? We ask that you become a member of Citizens Climate Lobby by going to its website, citizensclimatelobby.org, and attend local monthly meetings for climate science information and next steps. Now more than ever, with a new administration, we need citizens like yourself to stand up for this practical, viable, solution to unmitigated carbon emissions that are so damaging to our world.

Wendy Hansen
Grand Marais