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Deirdre Henderson: Act’s carbon reduction significant

We appreciate the Sierra Sun’s coverage of the endorsement of the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763) by the Truckee Town Council (“Truckee Town Council endorses federal climate legislation,” April 27, 2019).

Truckee is a frontline community already experiencing some of the predicted effects of climate change. We are pleased and proud that our Town Council recognizes this and has endorsed national legislation that is comprehensive enough to address the problem aggressively and effectively, while growing the economy, increasing jobs and saving lives from reduced carbon pollution.

We wish to correct a statement in your coverage, however. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act will reduce carbon emissions within 12 years by 40% (not 4% as stated in the article) over the reference year of 2016.



This reduction is significant. The 2018 Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends a reduction of global CO2-equivalent emissions of at least 40 percent from the 2010 level by 2030 to stay on track for staying below a global warming increase of 1.5°C. The emissions reduction schedule in this bill would hit that target for U.S. emissions just one year later, in 2031, and would be within a few percent of the IPCC curve thereafter.

Cutting emissions from the U.S., the world’s second-largest emitter, by the amount set forth in this bill would be a huge boost to our chances of staying below 1.5°C this century. And that increases our chances of leaving our children and grandchildren a livable, safe, prosperous world.



Deirdre Henderson

Citizens’ Climate Lobby, North Tahoe Chapter


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