Burlingame B
By Lexi Goldstone and Samantha Johnstone
“We are unstoppable; another world is possible.”Climate advocates echoed this chant throughout San Mateo Central Park on Saturday afternoon at the “Students for a Carbon Fee & Dividend Rally.” Environmentalist attendees marched up El Camino Real hoisting hand-painted signs en route to the heart of the park for a series of speeches from local government officials and student activists.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) San Mateo Youth, the rally organizer, is one of 591 active chapters across the country. The main goal of CCL is to implement a carbon fee, which would be collected anytime a fossil fuel is purchased. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, carbon emissions account for 80% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, so CCL hopes that the carbon tax legislation could generate enough revenue to fund monthly dividend checks to the American people.
The CCL’s believes a fee return incentivizes the switch to renewable energy sources, thus decreasing carbon emissions and helping to slow climate change...
California State Sen. Josh Becker, one of the six scheduled speakers, spoke on how the importance of protecting the environment motivated his 2020 run for state senate. By supporting the Carbon Fee and Dividend, Becker continues to endorse decreased fossil fuel usage.
“The bottom line is, we need to have a higher price on carbon,” Becker said in his speech. “We need to work at all levels — all levels of the government and all levels of the economy.”