1st District Democrat: Dave O’Brien

Global climate change is real and it's man-made. As a member of Congress, I will work to protect our environmental for future generations before it's too late.

Despite the scientific consensus that climate change is real, some continue to deny this reality. Denying this consensus is the equivalent of lining up 100 of the nation's top cancer doctors and 99 of them said you have a disease that is treatable, but you must begin treatment immediately, and one said, 'no worries, just keep doing what you are doing and you will probably be fine.” Would any rational person refuse treatment? Of course not, and for the same reason we cannot continue to ignore the scientific consensus on global climate change.

It's our duty to leave our children and grandchildren a sustainable environment. I support the Citizen's Climate Lobby carbon fee and dividend plan because it unleashes the power of capitalism to solve this problem. The plan forces polluters to pay for the carbon they release into the atmosphere. Right now, these polluters are using a resource - our atmosphere - and not paying for it. Capitalism does not work well when consumers or businesses do not pay for the full cost of the raw material and resources they consume.

Think of Walmart making $17 billion in profits in 2012 while underpaying many of its employees such that they are forced to seek government assistance to survive. Walmart's refusal to pay the full cost of its labor force results in the American taxpayers spending billions of dollars every year in SNAP (food stamp) benefits and other social safety net programs. Our economy and our federal budget would be far better served if Walmart was forced to pay the full cost of its labor force. (By the way, this is a goal that could be easily accomplished by increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.)

In the same way, a carbon fee and dividend will force polluters to pay for the cost of their pollution - establishing a powerful incentive to avoid that payment by not polluting. This will encourage the production and use of clean energy such as wind, solar and biomass. These sources of energy can be consumed without releasing carbon into the atmosphere and therefore avoid paying the carbon fee.

Of course, the oil and gas industry will pass this increase in the cost of production on to consumers at a time when most families cannot afford to pay higher prices. That's where the dividend comes in. Every penny of the carbon fee will be given back to consumers as a dividend to assist them as we transition to a clean energy future. So, this common-sense approach to solving the global climate change problem is revenue neutral and easy to implement.

The plan also repeals the billions in taxpayer subsidies given to oil and gas companies - subsidies that continue to promote fossil fuels over clean energy.

Please join me in supporting this plan. Your children and grandchildren will thank you.

' Dave O'Brien is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 1st District congressional seat. Comments: dave@obrienforiowa.com