Climate change is one of the greatest risks to our citizens' lives, health, and wages. Our nation's economy, infrastructure, food security and our National Security is endangered. If many are worried about how wars create refugees, imagine what will happen if coast-sea level rises around the world to a level, where millions upon millions of environmental refugees are forced to suddenly migrate. Environmental mass migrations are already happening around the world, but it's nothing compared to what will ensue.
Climate Change should be viewed as an opportunity for our country not only in terms of advanced innovation, but also to fight many social issues such as poverty and housing.
The Green New Deal is ambitious, and I am in full support. I call upon a market-based Federal "Carbon Fee and Dividend" Plan where a carbon fee is placed on carbon-based fuels at the source & on importers, where the fee increases over time. Eventually clean energy will become cheaper than fossil fuels, incentivizing investors and entrepreneurs towards more cleaner energy technology.
2/3rd of the revenue realized from the fees on carbon could be evenly distributed to American households via a uniform lump-sump transfer in cash, with the other 1/3rd of the revenue transferred to firms that are especially affected, for public Green Spending (infrastructure, buildings, R&D, renewables) and some of it could even be used for anti-poverty measures to fight poverty and housing issues in inner cities like Chicago.
A variation of this is already in Congress through the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 2307).