Gary Anderson, in his recent guest column on “climate denial” (The Times Record, March 22) spoke of the “need for a nuclear wake-up call” for “those still dreaming that earth’s environmental nightmare will somehow go away.” His cautionary message echoes that of climate science, which for many years, has foretold the coming of rising sea levels, extreme weather, wildfires, floods, species extinction, climate refugees, and the specter of a climate too hot to sustain life.

Meanwhile we hear little in the way of overarching plans to avert this climate disaster. The Trump administration and many in Congress seem oblivious to repeated warnings from our own federal agencies, whose mandate is to study and advise about climate and health. Rather than working to limit greenhouse gas emissions, our current leaders have withdrawn the US from the Paris Climate Accords and have pushed to reinvest in the fossil fuel industry.

At the same time well developed proposals for climate stabilization have been described, as outlined in two recent reports. The first, a recently published, well-researched book edited by Paul Hawken, “Drawdown,” describes 100 different potential solutions to climate change that rely on existing technologies, ecological knowledge, and social sciences. The authors argue that it is possible to limit global warming and assert that we can even “reverse it” by strategies that “draw down” carbon. A second report spearheaded by Mark Jacobson, an engineer from Stanford and co-founder of the Solutions Project, has outlined a detailed roadmap for transitioning to a worldwide 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.

If we assume for a moment that these proposals are credible, and that the knowledge does indeed exist to transition the world off fossil fuels, is there hope that these visions could actually be implemented? The World Bank, The Climate Leadership Council, and Citizens Climate Lobby all think so, and claim the answer is clear, namely to put a “price on carbon.” They argue that clean energy technologies would become cost competitive if the true health, and environmental costs of burning fossil fuels were fairly reflected in their price. If coal, oil, and gas companies had to pay a “carbon fee”, they would be forced to raise the price of their goods, which in turn would incentivize people and business to invest in cheaper, low carbon energy options such as those described in “Drawdown” and the Solutions Project. Furthermore, if the fee were “revenue neutral,” and all the money were returned to citizens in regular “carbon dividends”, the added income would protect citizens from a price shock. Meanwhile the policy promises to jumpstart a green energy economy, improve health, and stabilize temperatures by cutting carbon emissions in half over the next 20 years.

Paul Hawken challenges us in Drawdown to “come together to address global warming or we will likely disappear as a civilization”. Two years ago, at the urging of dedicated citizen activists, an unprecedented bipartisan study group, the “Climate Solutions Caucus”, quietly formed within the US House of Representatives. The membership has expanded now to a total of 36 Republicans and 36 Democrats whose joint mission is to explore “economically viable options to reduce climate risk.” The caucus is currently in the process of seeking input from scientists, the military, the business community, environmentalists, and the general public to better understand and implement solutions to the climate problem. By this example of coming together, they have raised new hope for constructive conversation across the political divide in Washington.

When the caucus hears the case for a carbon fee, with enough citizen support, perhaps carbon pricing could become a reality. By working together, moving beyond denial and polarization, and engaging in meaningful dialog, we will be doing our best to ensure the future livability of our common home.

Paul Perkins is a resident of Bath, a psychiatrist, and a member of the Bath-Brunswick chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby.

Film screening

THE LOCAL CHAPTER of Citizens’ Climate Lobby will air a segment from the National Geographic film series “Years of Living Dangerously” on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

This 25-minute film follows Bradley Whitford as he tries to convince Members of Congress to act on climate change. He trains with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a grassroots, nonpartisan group of mostly volunteers. After the showing, local leaders from CCL will update the audience on progress made since the film was produced. The group will talk about its solution to climate change – pricing carbon at the source – and how ordinary citizens can help the effort that has support on both sides of the aisle.