Campaign News
Passing I 732 is the best chance we have right now to address climate change. Other investments in our future, such as ST3, can be part of a strategy, but larger, more immediate, economy-wide moves like I732 are required to stop the environmental and health damages occurring from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The climate can’t wait.
- A 2013 study by Regional Economic Models, Inc found that a policy similar to I732 would get our State halfway to its 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction target.
- Studies show that British Columbia’s similar carbon tax has already reduced GHG emissions by 5-15% since 2008.
- Sound Transit estimates the ST3 projects will reduce carbon emissions by 130,000 tons a year in 2040. That’s only about 1/3 of one percent of the reduction needed to meet the State’s 2050 target.
- Sound Transit estimates that a fully-built out system (phases 1 + 2 + 3) will reduce GHG emissions by 793,000 tons a year in 2040. That’s less than 2% of reduction we need to meet the State’s 2050 target.
- Statewide greenhouse gas emissions were 92.0 million metric tons (MMT) in 2012
- The State’s official GHG reduction targets are
- Return to 1990 levels by 2020 = 88.4 million metric tons (MMT)
- 25% below 1990 levels by 2035 = 3 MMT
- 50% below 1990 levels by 2050 = 44.2 MMT
R Street Institute Analysis of Carbon Taxes
Published September 2016
- “Society stands to gain in both environmental outcomes and economic performance by moving to a more straightforward policy that pursues carbon reductions by mobilizing the marketplace. This can be done by placing a direct price on emissions.”
Inspired by Humans of New York: a photography project that began in 2010 in an attempt to capture 10,000 New Yorkers on the street and create an exhaustive catalog of the lives and spirits of its inhabitants. Today, HONY reaches over 20 million people and provides a worldwide audience with a daily glimpse into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.
Grassroots campaigns like I-732’s are comprised of many people who get involved because they see something beautiful in the world worth fighting for. These are some of their stories…
I-732 is the most important climate vote in the nation
There’s good news internationally on the climate front (last month’s news about the Paris accord, plus yesterday’s deal to phase out HFCs) and we can keep the good news rolling by passing I-732…
Inspired by Humans of New York: a photography project that began in 2010 in an attempt to capture 10,000 New Yorkers on the street and create an exhaustive catalog of the lives and spirits of its inhabitants. Today, HONY reaches over 20 million people and provides a worldwide audience with a daily glimpse into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.
Grassroots campaigns like I-732’s are comprised of many people who get involved because they see something beautiful in the world worth fighting for. These are some of their stories…
I-732 is the most important climate vote in the nation
There’s good news internationally on the climate front (last month’s news about the Paris accord, plus yesterday’s deal to phase out HFCs) and we can keep the good news rolling by passing I-732…
…because everyone from President Obama to economists everywhere agree that putting a price on carbon is the single most important thing we can do to take action on climate change;
…because I-732 would (in the words of an MIT expert) “certainly be one of the most aggressive — if not the most aggressive — carbon taxes that we have on the books globally”;
…and because I-732 shows the path forward for bipartisan climate action: “the most important thing” according to Democratic strategist Mark Mellman.
That’s why I-732 is the most important climate vote in the nation… and people are starting to get the message:
PRESS RELEASE
The State must fulfill its obligation to provide accurate and transparent information in regard to issues going before a vote of the people, and the errors in the fiscal note must be corrected.
The World Bank reports that 15 countries currently have successful carbon taxes in place similar to what I-732 would create in Washington State. The tax applied to carbon in these countries ranges from $5/ton in Chile to $168/ton in Sweden.
A carbon tax is needed to start counteracting the extremely large pollution subsidies afforded to the fossil fuel industry by federal and state governments.
We’re hitting our fundraising targets
Thanks to everyone who helped us meet our $57k matching challenge! Between your generosity and the generosity of the donors who put up the match, we raised $116,782 from 355 donors between the start of our challenge on Sept 24 and the close of our challenge on Sunday. Great work (!) and if you missed out, well, it’s not too late to donate ? Your contributions enable us to drive the biggest voter education on climate change the state has ever seen, and underscores that our most single most important priority is saving the planet!
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