I t is encouraging to hear of the Rebuild by Design recovery competition as noted in recent newspaper reports.
This reaction to superstorm Sandy is inspiring innovative ideas, taking into consideration the particular vulnerabilities of our region. According to the website on the design competition, the lead private funder, the Rockefeller Foundation, is committed to promoting resilience and includes climate change as one of the contributing factors to increasing “shocks” of extreme weather events such as Sandy. Droughts, floods, wildfires and ocean acidity are also made worse by climate change, or “climate disruption,” and threaten our very necessities of life such as food, water and shelter.
While resiliency projects are commendable and exciting, they are not addressing the cause of the problem. Let’s not lose sight of the pressing need to restore balance to our climate system. As the old adage has it, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
A crucial first step is to reduce the amount of disruption-causing greenhouse gasses, which come from the usage of fossil fuels. Putting a price on these carbon-based fuels to reflect the true cost makes sense. In the most direct plan — a fee-and-dividend approach — the price would rise predictably and all the revenues would be returned to households.
Honesty in pricing fossil fuels would give renewable energy a chance and a choice for consumers and businesses. American ingenuity and innovation would be unleashed in preventing even worse climate disruption.
Lynn Dash
Middletown