Photo: Brightwater Bog, Shutesbury, MA Lois Barber
December 2020 - We know that hotter ocean temperatures produce more violent hurricanes. We also know that the gasoline we burn in our cars, and the oil, coal, natural gas, and jet fuel that we pay for and use, is not paid for entirely when we pay for it. There is what economists call the "external cost", the cost we don't pay for. That's the cost of the damages we cause others for using that fuel. These damages are not paid for by us, but rather are paid, for example, by people in Nicaragua, whose houses are washed away in those hurricanes, often with many deaths of fathers, mothers, and children.
We owe the Nicaraguans for the damages we've caused them. How big is the external cost, the part that we are not paying for? The Obama administration used $40 per ton of CO2 emitted in its calculations of external costs. The average US family of four puts out 70 tons of CO2 per year—that’s $2,800.
TAKE ACTION:
With those numbers in mind, contact Save The Children (US branch). They are highly rated and have ongoing programs to help in Nicaragua. What they need is additional funds to help people in their hour of direst need. This is great at this holiday time, but remember that this is just what we owe them.
CONTACT:
Save the Children—Click on their Donate button, or send them a check.
Website page on Nicaragua:
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/hurricane-iota-how-to-help-facts-faq
Mail: 501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825
Tel: 203 221 4000
Multiply this Message: Write a letter to the editor about this important & timely issue. This is a powerful way to educate and mobilize others.
Comments