Earth Day is upon us. There is so much in nature that we can appreciate and there are many people around the world who are doing remarkable work to make it a sustainable planet for future generations.
I am an artist and since last summer I have been working on a series of clay sculptures I call "Climate Heroes." It is so encouraging to me that there are people around the world who are stepping up to make their voices heard about climate change.
Pope Francis is one of my Climate Heroes. On June 18, 2015, Pope Francis issued a papal encyclical called "Laudato si'" on climate change, care for the environment, and sustainable development. He said "The ecological crisis, and the large-scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species . . . . Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity."
Isatou Ceesay is another of my heroes. Waste, and plastic waste in particular, is a huge issue globally. In Africa, even more than anywhere else, waste is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. Isatou Ceesay has been empowering women in the Gambia for over 17 years, to turn plastic waste into revenues and thus take a more important role in society while ensuring their financial independence. With over 2,000 members in 40 groups, and projects with the EU and the UNDP, Isatou's organization, Women's Initiative Gambia is one of the hopes for the continent to see this situation change.
James Hansen is a hero. He is an American adjunct professor in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. From 1981 to 2013, he was the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Science. He is best known for his research in climatology, his 1988 congressional testimony on climate change, which helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to avoid dangerous climate change.
In an interview on CBC television on March 3, 2015, Dr. Hansen stated "The solution [to climate change] has to be a rising price on carbon . . . — you would collect from the fossil fuel companies at the source (the domestic mines or the ports of entry) and then distribute that money to the public, an equal amount to all legal residents, that would begin to make the prices honest."
These are just three of my Heroes, but each of us can be a hero in our own small way. We need to get our Congress to pass legislation that puts a steadily rising fee on carbon, and then return that revenue back to households, just as Dr. Hansen is advocating.
This is a bipartisan approach that was championed by former Secretary of State George Shultz. It could cut emissions of CO2 in half within 20 years while adding millions of jobs to the economy, according to the REMI study.
This is a solution that Sens. Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet could easily support. It's a no-risk "insurance policy," as Shultz would put it.
It is encouraging that members from both sides of the aisle are coming together in the form of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House. The purpose of the new caucus, which will be co-chaired by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), is to "explore policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate," according to a document filed with the Committee on House Administration.
We celebrate the Earth each year for providing us with sustenance and beauty. Just like the Climate Heroes, we can all be a hero and do our small part to rein in pollution that is changing its climate.
Roberta Benson lives in Boulder.