And just like that, December is practically over. My birthday is Sunday and the rest of the year will zoom by probably before the cake is gone.
Programming note: this is the last *regular* Week En Review of 2023 but stay tuned on December 20th for our 12 Months of EcoRighting, a look back of the highlights of the year.
This week’s must read: Pay our carbon fee and you can sell here (Forbes) Our own Bob Inglis is now a contributor to Forbes and here is his latest on the Foreign Pollution Fee Act and why carbon border adjustments make sense.
“Armed with accurate carbon pollution data compiled by the PROVE IT Act, America could make the case that Senator Cassidy’s Foreign Pollution Fee is fair. Since emissions anywhere are climate change everywhere, it’s important to make the whole world accountable—surely a topic of discussion at COP28 in Dubai. With a carbon border fee, we’d be saying to the world, ‘You want access to our very lucrative consumer market? Fine. Just pay at our borders a fee that levels the playing field so that the cost of greenhouse gas pollution is added to the price of your products.'”
With this episode, season seven is in the books! What a great 18 episodes we were able to share with you this time around. In our traditional manner, we have summed up some of our favorites in this recap episode. As always, we encourage you to go back and listen to any you might have missed.
Quote of the week: From Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who was part of the bipartisan Congressional Delegation to COP28 (more on that below).
“OK, I didn’t vote for the IRA, I get it,” the former chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said after including the legislation on a list of bills through which the U.S. was tackling climate change. “But we’re seeing the benefits that are coming to our country because of that, and I’m not afraid to sit up here and tell you that we’re seeing that.”
COP28: Key Takeaways from the EcoRight
It’s a wrap on COP28, the international climate meeting held annually, this year in Dubai. We have rounded up the best quotes from the conference and reactions post-conference.
From Doug Holtz-Eakin, American Freedom Forum (and podcast guest this season): “COP28 thus represents a step away from an unenforceable fantasy on emissions to an unenforceable fantasy about energy portfolios. It is simply a worse way to fail at climate policy.” (Read his full statement here.)
From Alex Flint, Alliance for Market Solutions: “If you’re a pilot on an airplane that might crash, at some point you have the obligation to tell your passengers to brace for impact,” the five-time COP attendee said of warnings being issued about severity of climate change. “Well, it’s time to brace for impact.”
From Congressman John Curtis (R-UT), a member of the Congressional delegation and founder of the House Conservative Climate Caucus: “Republicans are taking a lead in an issue that has traditionally not been one we’ve participated in,” the three-time attendee said. “And we’re showing the world that there are answers to this that are very much in line with conservative, Republican ideas, and perhaps more importantly, in a way that’s incredibly important to Utah and Utah’s economy.”
We are sure the COP will be the subject of conversation for months to come.
Plus, November was the hottest on record, no suprise.
And on that note, time to bake the cookies! Have a great weekend and see you WEDNESDAY!