Amending the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Bill to Harness Individual Behavior

Abstract

This article attempts to answer a question about the design of Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191) that has not received significant attention: How should Congress engage individuals in the effort to address climate change? Individuals outside of their work are responsible for one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and the U.S. has a higher per capita energy consumption rate than virtually any other country. The article recommends a broad range of provisions, including 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. Such legislation would more likely be at least equal to the challenge in front of us.