Let’s get a few things straight on pollution and climate change:


1 – The US is not the top contributor to the problem

So let’s stop acting like we are. China is #1. And it’s not close.

What can you do to reduce those emissions? Stop consuming so much stuff.


2 – Cars contribute very little pollution in the grand scheme

Stop telling me when and where (or if) I can drive my car.

The largest ships emit as much as 50 MILLION cars. To thwart the problem? Stop consuming so much stuff produced in other countries.

The emissions from 16 cargo ships pollute the air more than all of the cars in the world.

Once again, the media and politicians have diverted you from the real problem with something that you can use to fight your neighbor.

We could move to green cargo ships and really cool hybrid airships in the next few years. Those are legitimate options and not invasive of my right to move about as I please.


3 – There’s a solution to reverse the problem

And it isn’t to stop exhaling, so you can breathe again (I noticed you were turning blue).

Scientists in Tennessee (my home state) found a way to turn carbon dioxide in the air into fuel. Pretty sweet. It’ll be commercially available in a couple years.


Instead of banning carbon emissions – tax them. Taxes should be used to reduce things we want less and incentivize more appealing alternatives.

If companies are taxed for their carbon emissions, they would find a way to stop emitting so much.

Or they would pass along the added costs to customers in form of higher prices. But higher prices on their goods mean opportunity for another company to come in, emit less (or none) and win all the business.

Plus, there’s opportunity to sell fuel from your carbon emissions if you’re a smart business. And the more we turn the carbon in the atmosphere into energy, the less coal and oil we need, which means less damage to our planet.


There’s a lot of potentially great solutions to our problems. None of them involve telling individuals what they can or cannot use/buy. Incentivize don’t criminalize.