Dictator Vladimir Putin ordered a brutal attack on Ukraine without justification. The world watches with admiration as outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian soldiers fight Russian invaders. We are inspired by the courage of ordinary women and men defending Ukrainian democracy. We weep for the Ukrainian people who have been killed, had their homes destroyed, and have fled their communities.
The United States, NATO, and others have united to oppose Putin’s brutality, vowing that Russia will pay a heavy price for his aggression. War with a nuclear-armed Russia would be very risky, so the West has imposed economic sanctions. Severe economic sanctions are appropriate and will disrupt the Russian economy. However, my heart goes out to ordinary Russians, who will suffer.
Sanctions are an immediate response. Putin and other oil state dictators influence the world because fossil fuels are limited, giving countries such as Russia, Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia power that far exceeds their other economic, political, and technological strengths. Our long-term response must target Putin’s major source of power: oil and natural gas. The world needs to declare its independence from fossil fuels. We can rapidly deploy proven technologies to capture energy through solar power, wind, and geothermal methods. We must create methods for storing energy through hydrogen and other means. We can better design and insulate our homes and businesses to save energy. Fossil fuel independence will be a win-win for us and the whole world. Less burning of coal, oil, and gas will mean less air pollution and better health, because air pollution kills more than 300,000 Americans every year. Less fossil fuel and more renewable energy will lessen the threat of climate change, which degrades our lives and costs money. Kentucky is already suffering, with record floods in Eastern Kentucky. Climate change also may have contributed to the damaging tornadoes in Western Kentucky. In addition to the human misery, the economic costs of climate change are high and will continue to grow. Unlike economic sanctions, fossil fuel independence will not hurt ordinary citizens in the US, the rest of the world, and even Russia.
We in the non-partisan Citizens Climate Lobby believe that we can reduce fossil fuel use through a carbon pricing and cashback plan. This has been endorsed by 52 Kentucky economists and 130 Kentucky faith leaders. A steadily increasing carbon price will foster innovation and speed the transition to cleaner energy throughout the entire economy, from families to the biggest industries. The carbon price revenue can be allocated to citizens as a regular dividend or “carbon cashback,” protecting ordinary Americans from higher costs and fighting inflation. Importantly, a border carbon adjustment will impose international pressure on all fossil fuel use. As an added bonus, it would break the grip of oil states like Russia. Please join us at citizensclimatelobby.org.
Dr. Lutz is a clinical pathologist and research scientist at the University of Kentucky.
