9 Reasons Millennials Want To Put A Price On Carbon

Yes, climate change is a big and scary issue the Millennial generation will have to tackle but that doesn't mean we all have to give up red meat and drive hybrids to save the planet. There is an easier solution that is gaining considerable momentum among young people: putting a price on carbon pollution. So what is carbon pricing and why should I care? Give these 9 reasons a go:

1. Build a sustainable future

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Right now fossil fuel companies are getting the equivalent of a free lunch for polluting our atmosphere with no charge. They are not paying the full costs of carbon pollution – the costs to our health, our environment and from the impacts of climate change. Putting a price on carbon will take these costs into consideration and level the playing field for clean energy, by encouraging investments in sources like wind and solar.

2. Curb the impacts of climate change

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Sea level rise, drought, extreme heat - these are just a few of the costly impacts of climate change Americans are already facing, and they will only grow worse if we continue to emit carbon pollution at the current rate. A carbon price will lower our emissions and help curb negative impacts. In fact, scientists predict that a carbon price will help the United States lower its carbon emissions to less than 1990 levels.

3. Create more jobs

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It’s simple: more investment in clean energy will spur growth in this industry and create more jobs. According to a new United Nations’ report, clean energy will create more jobs than the fossil fuel industry. Millennials will have the opportunity to become the leaders and the innovators of the new, rapidly expanding industry of clean technology.

4. Become global leaders in combatting climate change

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We’ve done it before and we can do it again. In the 1980s, the U.S. led the international fight against ozone depletion, which led to successful regulation of ozone-causing gases. Now it’s time to lead the fight against climate change. The Paris Agreement - the international pact for reducing greenhouse gases - recently went into effect with 55 countries taking the pledge. The U.S. can use a carbon price to help fulfill its Paris obligations and pave the way for the rest of the world.

5. Canada is already on it

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C’mon, are we really going to let Canada beat us? Canada recently announced a price on carbon emissions for provinces not adequately regulating greenhouse gas emissions on their own. British Columbia, one of Canada’s provinces already on it, has been reaping the benefits of its carbon pricing policy.

6. If we don’t, then Millennials pay the cost.

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A recent study by Demos and NextGen Climate found that without action on climate change, a 21-year-old earning a median salary will lose $100,000 in lifetime income (as if millennials weren’t stressed enough about student debt and paying the bills). When no one accounts for the costs of carbon, we end up with the tab for climate disasters.

7. It’s fair for everyone

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Carbon pollution is not just an environmental issue; it’s a social justice issue. Experts agree that pollution from fossil fuels disproportionately impact poorer communities already at a disadvantage. A carbon price and rebate policy would help restore justice by cutting back pollution and giving the revenue back to vulnerable communities who need it most.

8. It has popular endorsement

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Big name politicians, business leaders and celebrities alike believe in putting a price on carbon: Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Leonardo DiCaprio, and prominent Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Even Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil (yes, the energy giant) has called for an equitable carbon price.

9. Students across the country are demanding action

College students from Rhode Island to California are taking control of their futures and organizing to make their voices heard through the #PutAPriceOnIt campaign.