Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jane Stromberg, a student at the University of Vermont and president of the Renewable Energy Network.
[A]s a student at the University of Vermont I am extremely lucky to have the opportunity to explore and enjoy our state’s incredible natural environment. This makes it easy to understand just how fragile that environment is and how it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations. I’ve also come to understand that standing up for our natural environment is also an incredible opportunity for Vermont to embrace a strong and innovative 21st century economy.
By implementing a tax on carbon pollution we can do our part in the fight against global warming while also creating an economy that makes Vermont an attractive home for the innovative industries of the post-fossil-fuel future and people like me, who want to live, work and grow old right here in the Green Mountain State.
It is no exaggeration to say that we need to act now to avoid global warming’s most catastrophic effects.
Â
Unfortunately, it seems like Vermont has not been immune to the fear and misinformation that have characterized this election season. Millions of dollars have flowed into Vermont paying for ads claiming that a carbon pollution tax poses some sort of cataclysmic threat to Vermont’s economic well-being. These claims couldn’t be farther from the truth. A coalition of diverse organizations and businesses, including Vermont Public Interest Research Group – an organization that has fought tirelessly for over 40 years protecting our environment from pollution and our democracy from big money – has worked tirelessly and collaboratively to ensure that a tax on carbon pollution will help grow our economy by funding investments in green energy and tax cuts for working Vermonters.
As our elected officials consider the best strategy for attracting the businesses and workers of the future, the carbon pollution tax represents a smart and well-crafted policy opportunity. People my age want to live in walkable downtowns and villages surrounded by beautiful outdoor recreational opportunities, jobs in the renewable energy and high tech sector, and of course — cafes, brewpubs, and cooperative natural food stores (some stereotypes are true!).
Vermont is heading in the right direction on many of these fronts, but we could do even better. Already one in 17 jobs in Vermont is in the renewable energy sector but, as a recent report by Regional Economic Modeling suggests, high-tech jobs in computer science and engineering would thrive in an economy that shifts some of the tax burden onto fossil fuels. We can and should make the forward-looking policy decisions that will protect Vermont’s climate and ensure our beautiful state is an attractive place for innovation, businesses and high-skilled workers of the 21st century.
It is no exaggeration to say that we need to act now to avoid global warming’s most catastrophic effects. The good news is that Vermont has a long history of taking on history’s biggest challenges and setting an example by doing the right thing. And the even better news is that doing the right thing by embracing bold policies to reduce climate pollution will also be a boon to our long-term economic well-being. I consider myself very fortunate to go to school in this beautiful place and it is my hope that I can spend my life here, working to ensure future generations have the same opportunity to enjoy everything our state has to offer.