Cap and trade is a policy solution that works to reduce pollution faster and at lower cost than standards. We know it can work because it has been used successfully to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions from power plants under the US Acid Rain Program (trading has taken place since 1994). It worked to expedite the removal of lead from gasoline (read pages 82-83), it worked to phase-out CFCs and halons, it worked to reduce smog in Los Angeles under the RECLAIM program, and it worked to significantly reduce emissions in the EU. Can it work on a global scale with C02? It seems promising. Will it be complicated? Yes. Will there be opposition? Yes. Will there be unintended consequences? Yes. Should we therefore dismiss it?
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I believe cap and trade has a promising future even if it does have unforeseen consequences. We are currently at 400ppm (parts per million) carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it is commonly agreed upon by numerous scientists and environmental groups that 450ppm is the "tipping point" where irreversible consequences begin to take place. It is time that we as a people come together and educate ourselves on the problems that we have caused and how we can fix them. By educating ourselves on policies such as cap and trade and REDD we can accurately vote for representatives whom hold the same ambitions for a healthier Earth. If there is no political body to represent support for such policies, the people need to accurately and efficiently voice their concerns.
350.org explains well for those of us not extremely well versed in understanding carbon limitations: http://350.org/about/science/
A little long winded and somewhat dated but still informative and a testament as to why we need cap and trade: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_tipping_point/2012/
I took an AP environmental science class in high-school and we watched this video, any movie to do with climate change is normally dramatized so it must be taken with a gran of salt but the overall points they claim that will change if the atmosphere keeps warming due to carbon input are valid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_pb1G2wIoA
We should not dismiss it. It should be given to the people of the world to solve these issues. The government should put more responsibility on the people. If more people are involved then there will a greater effort for innovation. Cap and trade has been one of my favorite topics in this course. Applying limitations for what resources we are allowed to have is an idea that contributes to our environment.
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