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Tax my carbon-please

Steve Hinton
An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)
2 min readOct 14, 2021

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Dear Elected Official:

Are you losing sleep at night wondering how you and the people you represent will respond to the climate situation? Where will you find the resources to respond to the successive waves of climate driven emergencies? How will your local jurisdiction respond?

I write today with an idea for your consideration.

Consider this an open challenge to local governments of all stripes. You need to start taxing your citizens based on their carbon footprint NOT their property values.

Insanity? Political suicide? You might be wondering how could we possibly keep the doors open and all the government services functioning in such with such a taxation scheme? On the other hand, how are you going to keep the doors open when the earth comes to collect on all the overdue debts of the past?

Your best move: start mapping out your jurisdictions footprint to start. Be a leader, not a follower. What is the carbon footprint of each service provided? Are those services adding to the climate problem? Or are they helping to provide a solution? Can your jurisdiction legitimately achieve net zero targets? Consider the power of walking the talk and mapping it out one department and program at a time. Learn and advocate for making carbon accounting part of your organizations DNA. Support the integration of carbon…

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An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)
An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)

Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)

No Matter What People Tell You, Words And Ideas Can Change The World.

Steve Hinton
Steve Hinton

Written by Steve Hinton

Advocate for the environment and sustainability. Pacific Northwest prodigy seeking strength in diversity and local community.

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