Climate change is real, and denial of it is not a policy. But, man-made causes of climate change don’t recognize borders, and neither do the impacts. The United States cannot bear the burden alone of reducing emissions, transitioning to cleaner technologies and finding solutions. Nations such as China and India cannot be allowed to shirk their responsibilities at our competitive expense.
Likewise, we cannot fall into the convenient trap of treating CO2 emissions as the only contributing factor. Forest management in the U.S. is a disgrace. Ocean dumping by irresponsible players around the globe is killing reefs. Deforestation is robbing us of the ability to let nature and the atmosphere heal itself.
There are many steps we can take, from placing modest taxes on plastics to fund recycling to holding our trading partners responsible for their contributions to climate change. But we can’t take them alone.
Energy independence must be a priority, not just for the environment, but for our national security. Waging wars across the globe because we are held hostage to oil supplies must be a thing of the past. Policies that simply shift energy production from the U.S. to other, less responsible, nations do nothing to slow climate change — or to improve the quality of life for our own people.