Harnessing Individual Behavior to Address Climate Change: Options for Congress
By John C. Dernbach
ABSTRACT
This Article addresses a question about the design of national climate change legislation that has not received significant attention: How should Congress engage individuals in the effort to address climate change? The comprehensive climate change bills introduced in 2007 focus primarily on large greenhouse gas (GHG)-emitting entities. While this focus should be a key element, Congress must also engage individuals. Individuals contribute significantly to GHG emissions in the United States, which has a higher per capita energy consumption rate than virtually any other country. Individuals can play at least two complementary and mutually reinforcing roles--as citizens participating in the implementation process and as consumers making energy choices. Although each of the legislative bills introduced in 2007 contains elements of an individual engagement strategy, none reflects a comprehensive approach. This Article recommends a broad range of provisions, including findings and purposes, public participation, targets and timetables, numerous forms of public information, and a variety of incentives and pathways for individual action. The purpose of such provisions is to complement, not substitute for, provisions addressing major emitters. A congressional effort to engage individuals would take advantage of some of the nation's key strengths--individual initiative, engaged citizenship, and collective sense of purpose.
This Article addresses a question about the design of national climate change legislation that has not received significant attention: How should Congress engage individuals in the effort to address climate change? The comprehensive climate change bills introduced in 2007 focus primarily on large greenhouse gas (GHG)-emitting entities. While this focus should be a key element, Congress must also engage individuals. Individuals contribute significantly to GHG emissions in the United States, which has a higher per capita energy consumption rate than virtually any other country. Individuals can play at least two complementary and mutually reinforcing roles--as citizens participating in the implementation process and as consumers making energy choices. Although each of the legislative bills introduced in 2007 contains elements of an individual engagement strategy, none reflects a comprehensive approach. This Article recommends a broad range of provisions, including findings and purposes, public participation, targets and timetables, numerous forms of public information, and a variety of incentives and pathways for individual action. The purpose of such provisions is to complement, not substitute for, provisions addressing major emitters. A congressional effort to engage individuals would take advantage of some of the nation's key strengths--individual initiative, engaged citizenship, and collective sense of purpose.