CTC’s Special Request for Your Support

On January 20, 2009, less than ten weeks from today, the United States will have a new president and a new Congress. After eight years of obstruction by the Bush administration, and years of delay before that, the United States is finally poised to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On December 9, six weeks before Inauguration Day, the Carbon Tax Center is holding a briefing on Capitol Hill to articulate to the incoming Administration and Congress why a tax on carbon emissions must be the centerpiece of a new U.S. climate policy. Headlining the briefing is NASA climatologist James Hansen, a powerful advocate of a carbon tax. Dr. Hansen will be followed by two eminent economists, Prof. Gilbert Metcalf of Tufts and Dr. Robert Shapiro, currently at Sonecon and formerly U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs. James Hoggan, chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and a highly regarded Canadian pollster, will speak on public opinion regarding British Columbia’s carbon tax and the impact of the Liberal Party’s carbon tax proposal on last month’s Canadian national election.

The briefing is being hosted by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and author of a carbon tax bill introduced last year. Mr. Larson is Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, making him the fifth-ranking Democrat in the House, and has been mentioned as a possible successor to Rahm Emanuel, Chair of the Caucus and soon to be chief of staff to President Obama. The briefing will run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will take place in a Ways & Means Committee hearing room, B-318, in the Rayburn House Office Building. The Climate Crisis Coalition has joined us as conference organizer, and Friends of the Earth and the Environmental & Energy Study Institute are serving as co-sponsors.

We are particularly pleased that James Hansen has agreed to be our keynote speaker. For over 20 years, Dr. Hansen has distilled mounting evidence that rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will soon lead to disastrous climate change into urgent calls for action by the United States and other major emitters. Dr. Hansen courageously rebuffed efforts by the Bush administration to muzzle him and has continued to combine world-class research and public education on the imminence of potentially devastating climate change with exhortation for action. At the top of Dr. Hansen’s agenda, and a focal point of his presentation at our briefing, is the need for carbon pricing delivered through steep but equitable revenue-neutral carbon taxes.

Following Dr. Hansen’s keynote address, economists Metcalf and Shapiro will detail the mechanics of carbon taxing, and Mr. Hoggan will share his research findings on public opinion concerning Canada’s experience with carbon taxes.

We invite you to join us at the December 9 briefing. To ensure its success, including vital follow-on work, we ask for your generous financial help.  Political dynamics in Washington have changed dramatically and CTC intends to be fully engaged to ensure that carbon taxing gets a full hearing. Your support will enable us to take full advantage of this long-awaited opportunity to effectively advocate for a U.S. carbon tax.  Please click our Donate Now button or click here for instructions on making a contribution.