Passing Cap and Trade might be easier than we think
ILLUSTRATED: It's about sustainable job creation.
Cap and trade is an issue that divides the Democratic party. Other than immigration, no other issue splits our party coalition like the perils and opportunity of pricing carbon emissions. Republicans, defending Industrial Age firms, are generally against it.
Among some Democrats, the issue is basically that workers in polluting industries and extraction industries will suffer a lot of layoffs. The argument then becomes that this is bad social policy to change these communities so quickly. Generally these Democrats are in the Rust Belt and rural areas.
Democrats from coastal cities are more optimistic about the future since the engineering jobs and investors will be in their districts. They stress the economic advantage for the country, as well as environmental and national security imperatives for getting off oil and coal.
We always knew the Industrial Age was ending. However, the Great Recession has forced the end before we were able to handle it. In turn, that might speed up the passage of Cap and Trade since there are so few factory jobs left to lose. So Midwestern politicians and Republicans might not have enough bargaining chips (jobs to be saved) as previously thought. When things are this bad, why not try something new?
The case for Cap and Trade is basically creating new energy sources is the only way to create a new sustainable industry. If the response is "drill baby drill", just say "the most important natural resource in energy is brain tissue."
Cap and trade is an issue that divides the Democratic party. Other than immigration, no other issue splits our party coalition like the perils and opportunity of pricing carbon emissions. Republicans, defending Industrial Age firms, are generally against it.
Among some Democrats, the issue is basically that workers in polluting industries and extraction industries will suffer a lot of layoffs. The argument then becomes that this is bad social policy to change these communities so quickly. Generally these Democrats are in the Rust Belt and rural areas.
Democrats from coastal cities are more optimistic about the future since the engineering jobs and investors will be in their districts. They stress the economic advantage for the country, as well as environmental and national security imperatives for getting off oil and coal.
We always knew the Industrial Age was ending. However, the Great Recession has forced the end before we were able to handle it. In turn, that might speed up the passage of Cap and Trade since there are so few factory jobs left to lose. So Midwestern politicians and Republicans might not have enough bargaining chips (jobs to be saved) as previously thought. When things are this bad, why not try something new?
The case for Cap and Trade is basically creating new energy sources is the only way to create a new sustainable industry. If the response is "drill baby drill", just say "the most important natural resource in energy is brain tissue."
posted by Teka Thomas at 9:03 AM
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