Carbon Emissions – Voices of Austin @CCLATX

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PROVE IT Act | Please follow the link to lend your support

The PROVE IT Act would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to study and compare the carbon emissions of products that are produced in the United States vs. other countries. Within two years, the DOE will publish a study comparing the carbon output of U.S. goods, like aluminum, cement, crude oil, fertilizer, iron, steel and plastic, to goods made elsewhere.

Getting this information organized into a database is critical to enable America to negotiate effectively with trading partners who have carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) in place.

It has been introduced by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) as S.1863 and passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in January 2024. We hope it will be introduced in the House soon. Let’s encourage more members of Congress to sign on as cosponsors to keep this bill moving forward!

New Members and Volunteers Welcome

Please join our Austin Metro Chapter by following the link. We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. Once you join, you will have easy access to local, statewide and national events and educational programs. You might also enjoy listening-in to our monthly national Citizens’ Climate Lobby meetings on YouTube. Here is the March recording.

One of the things our chapter likes to do, is to staff Citizen Climate Lobby information tables at events of all kinds during the year. Kindly email jessyeubanks@gmail.com for tabling opportunities. Coming up are the SFC Farmers Market on March 30, Earth Day Austin 2024 on April 20, and UT Earth Day on April 25. Thank you!

*@CCLATX will be there! If you’d like to volunteer at our table display, we’d love to have you. Or, simply attend. We would love to see you there.*

Re: December 19, 2021 Article, “Extreme summer reveals stunning shift in rainfall”

Thanks for this well-researched article.

According to the article, while deluges grow east of the Rockies, the West experiences serious drought conditions, and, “NOAA reported at least 133 ‘billion-dollar disasters’ in the decade ending in 2020, double the previous decade, at a cost of more than $867 billion.”

One would think that such an increase in frequency of weather disasters would prompt strong action from our leaders. We are losing precious time. Scientists tell us that there is still time if steps are taken to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Those who lose everything including lives of their loved ones, know how quickly some of the powerful disasters can wipe out their homes and businesses. We need to address the root causes of reducing carbon emissions by pricing carbon. Ask your representative to support carbon fee and dividend as part of Build Back Better legislation.

Kalpana Sutaria

Austin American-Statesman

January 3, 2022