Where did June go? And speaking of June, how about a shoutout to my Grandma June who turned 102 this week! ??????Her secret: “exercise every day and live in the moment.” That’s advice to live by!
Now on to the (non-debate) news of the week…
This week’s must read: There were two op-eds in particular that stood out. It’s worth your time to check out both.
Addressing climate change is a win for Republicanswhy not embrace it? (The Hill) Shane Skelton, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s one-time energy aid, notes in his opinion piece that “bright red Texas is the largest renewable energy producer in the country. Plus, five of the 10 states with the most clean energy jobsTexas, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and North Carolinavoted for President Trump in 2016. Five other bright red statesKansas, Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, and Idaho generate between 30-80 percent of their electricity from zero carbon sources.”
The conservative case for a carbon tax (Bloomberg) “Failure to articulate a climate change policy has hurt Republicans with younger voters,” writes former economics professor Karl Smith. “If economic conservatives want to stay relevant, they need to provide market-based solutions to one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century.”
Best of Twitter: I know I shouldn’t use “best” and “Twitter” in the same sentence, but this thread, in which the Niskanen Center defends the carbon tax against bogus criticism, informs rather than inflames.
If you saw some claims about carbon tax policy around the internet today that sound dubious, it’s because they are.
Thread: https://t.co/R1lA0XK8jk
republicEn | E&EI (@republicEn) June 24, 2019
#EcoRightSpeaks: Check out our new EcoRight Speaks series, written by spokesperson Ben Mutolo. In this installment, he interviews Alex Posner, a republicEn member and the President of Students for Carbon Dividends, a group promoting the carbon fee and dividend framework among young conservatives. Originally from New York, Alex is a recent Yale graduate with a degree in American History. At just 23 years old, Alex has already emerged as a prominent EcoRight leader, appearing on media outlets such as Fox News. “What about this movement makes you feel optimistic for the future?” Ben asks Alex. “I’m buoyed by the incredible leadership from young conservatives on this issue,” he says. “There is a generational divide on this topicafter all, young people have the most at stakethat is already shifting the political needle. For the GOP to be the party of the future, it needs a plan to protect the future and that appeals to voters of the future.”
This week’s must listen: This Political Climate podcast is an hour long, but you can listen and still get work done. (Trust me, I did!)
Bob Inglis jumps into the discussion about halfway through, and the above mentioned Shane Skelton is one of the hosts.
Good news/bad news: The good news is, according to Reuters polling, 70 percent of Americans want the U.S. to take aggressive climate action. The bad news: only a third would support paying $100/year to do just that. It’s going to cost a heck of a lot more to do nothing, folks!
That’s it for the EcoRight this week. Keep cool, keep at it!