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Pittsburgh needs Paris, and Paris needs Pittsburgh

4 min read
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“Pittsburgh, not Paris” may be much more than a tagline from a presidential speech. Supporters applaud a focus on domestic concerns, while critics bemoan a perceived abandonment of international leadership.

Regardless of one’s views of the messenger, the case must be made that the phrase, although catchy, is overly simplistic. Since 97 percent of climate scientists are convinced that human-caused global warming is happening, Pittsburgh needs Paris, and Paris needs Pittsburgh.

This is not to say that a focus on Pittsburgh – and surrounding areas in the whole of Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia – would not be welcome. Communities throughout our region are struggling to support local economies, provide jobs, and offer quality education, having gone too long without needed help or even acknowledgment from state and national politicians. Meaningful programs for attracting investment and jobs are sorely needed.

This is exactly why Paris needs Pittsburgh – as a model of economic reinvention.

Pittsburgh is a shining example of a city transformed, from the smog and soot of coal and steel to innovation and leadership in health care and technology. For a strong and dynamic future as a city and a region, our future is self-driving cars, not a step backwards to coal. Paris needs Pittsburgh to show the way toward a new economy capable of leading the region, the country, and the world with the innovations that will lead the future.

To realize this ambition, Pittsburgh needs Paris. The reductions in greenhouse gas pollution called for in the Paris accords require investment in the same types of innovation that have spurred Pittsburgh’s rebirth. Increased demand for efficient energy systems and renewables will create opportunities for new businesses – and new employment – throughout Western Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 energy and jobs report, employment for solar and wind electricity generation outpaces similar numbers for fossil fuels. Add in the opportunities for manufacturing and service jobs, and you have an economic engine that could power the commonwealth, while cutting pollution and saving lives.

However, the clock is ticking – in more ways than one – as competitors in other countries race to build solar capacity and prices continue to fall, the U.S. risks falling behind. China is investing $361 billion in renewable energy by 2020, creating over 13 million new jobs as well as dedicating over $14 billion for worker retraining. India has now moved ahead of the United States to take over the second-place slot as a leader investing in renewable energy. We need to be leading in investments and new energy innovations, but withdrawing from Paris could cause the U.S. to lose out on new investments in renewable energy research, yielding leadership in innovation and development of new technologies to other countries for years to come.

These financial questions are at the heart of President Trump’s point. He is absolutely right to put concerns about jobs and the economy front and center. He’s also wrong to claim that economic development and fighting climate change are at odds. With the right incentives, environmental measures can help, not hurt, those struggling in today’s economy.

Carbon fee and dividend – the imposition of a predictable and gradually rising price on pollution, with all revenues equally distributed back to citizens – has the potential to reduce climate-change causing emissions while providing financial boosts where they are most needed. An independent analysis by Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) shows this policy would create 2.8 million new jobs, boost the economy over $80 billion per year, and save over 13,000 lives annually, all while cutting greenhouse gas pollution dramatically to half of 1990 levels. That would restore our nation’s moral leadership, drive energy innovation, create millions of new jobs and preserve civilization and the natural world for our children.

The carbon fee and dividend model provides an answer to those who are concerned about possible unfair advantages that other countries might have under the Paris model. By using fees to encourage reduced emissions, and by funneling those fees into investments capable of creating jobs, carbon fee and dividend turns a liability into an opportunity.

Pittsburgh needs the limits proposed in the Paris accord to motivate these measures, and Paris needs Pittsburgh to drive the innovation necessary to do the job.

Hochheiser is an assistant professor in the biomedical informatics department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Siler is a Pittsburgh-based software engineer.

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