The United States is the global leader in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita. This is one area where we do NOT want to lead. Scientists have proven that human activity has increased atmospheric CO2 levels significantly higher than before the Industrial Revolution. This is leading to an increase in the average global temperature, which in turn threatens the basic elements of life for people around the world, including access to water, food production, health, and use of land and the environment.
We NEED to change our behavior in order to fix this before the effects of climate change become irreversible. To do so, the Obama Administration must support the creation of a national carbon market, modeled off of the EU's ETS, Australia's CPRS, or California's new cap-and-trade scheme.