Opinion | The need for green economic policy

If the government is to ultimately alleviate the repercussions of climate change, it needs to find a way to incentivize people into adopting sustainable practices.

In Iowa City, June was the hottest month on record, and July has been anything but colder.

Furthermore, the increase in frequency of climate-related disasters has caused billions of dollars in damages to Iowa cities as thousands have lost their homes in flash floods.

Like a carbon tax, a carbon dividend works through levying a fee on polluters.

One of the more popular plans being discussed in policy circles is the Baker-Schultz climate plan, which would fine firms and individuals $40 per ton of carbon polluted and increase by 5 percent per year above inflation.

Of course, like any market-based solution, certain climate activists have found climate pricing schemes to be insufficient and are alternatively arguing for the passage of the Green New Deal, a proposition that demands the U.S.

The problem with the Green New Deal is that there are no actual policy proposals within the plan to combat climate change.

While all of these ideas are great, they really do not have any real direct links to mitigating climate change.

We are now dealing with the repercussions of unchecked pollution that humans have caused over the last 200 years.

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