Neighbor Spotlight: Environmental activist seeks economic solution to cut fossil fuel consumption
Mar. 4—Editor's note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve "15 minutes of fame." If you would like to nominate someone as a Neighbor Spotlight, email Neighborhood News Network editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com.
Chris Mullin admits that until he formed a local chapter of an environmental action group a little more than two years ago, he hadn't been very active in efforts to reverse the devastating effects pollution can have on the climate.
But the Mt. Lebanon resident, who leads the Sewickley Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby, developed a deep respect and appreciation for nature while growing up in Minnesota.
The Chapter primarily covers the north and west Pittsburgh suburbs as well as communities to the east and Beaver County.
"My older brother and I are both Eagle Scouts and our dad was a Scout leader for 50 years," said Mullin, 56. "One of the basic tenants of Scouting is that you leave your campsite in better condition than you found it. But when it comes to our planet, I don't think we're leaving the campsite in better condition at all."
Mullin said that until joining Citizens Climate Lobby and then starting a new chapter, he didn't feel compelled to get personally involved in environmental advocacy because of the significant progress made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since its formation in the 1970s.
"We've learned a lot since then and took steps to stop ozone pollution, improve water quality and save animal species," he said. "It seemed like the issues I was most aware of were pretty much being addressed, so I was feeling a little spoiled by the successes. I loved that our country was protecting these things."
Mullin said he started paying more attention to climate change during the 2000s when evidence emerged that the snow and ice was getting thinner in the arctic regions due to atmospheric changes caused by carbon dioxide from manufacturing.
"I was aware and concerned back then that we had a problem, but not enough to take any action," he said.
But Mullin's hands-off approach toward the environment changed with the 2016 election.
"My background is in physics," said Mullin, who studied at the University of California Berkeley. "As a scientist — we depend on research. There's been a consensus (about climate change) for decades that has only gotten stronger since the 1990s.
But Mullin wasn't just interested in joining a group that offered pie-in-the-sky solutions.
Mullin had heard about the Citizens Climate Lobby about six months before the 2016 election and was intrigued by their simple approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels.
For the past decade, Citizens' Climate Lobby has asked Congress to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which seeks to place a fee on fuels that produce greenhouse gases such as oil, coal and natural gas.
The money collected is then distributed to the entire U.S. population as a regular dividend.
"This approach is appealing to me because I believe in capitalism and the market is the only area strong enough to make the big changes that are needed," Mullin said. "What CCL is trying to do is support a simple solution that I believe can be accomplished."
Mullin said the organization's method for reducing carbon emissions is made easier because "you don't have to tax very many people."
"The fee is only imposed when fossil fuels enter the economy," he said. "That means it's taxed at the wellhead, at the port if it's being imported and at the coal mine."
"We expect that the fee will be passed on to the (producer's) customers who will, in turn, pass it on to consumers," he said. "And when consumers see higher bills for fuel, they will take action by reducing how much they use."
Mullin said the dividends that would be distributed likely will be higher than the additional amount people pay for fuel.
The mechanism to achieve Citizens' Climate Lobby's objectives are outlined in the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which received bipartisan support when it was introduced in Congress, he said.
CCL members around the country are working to get the legislation passed by, among other things, regularly meeting with members of Congress, letter writing and telephone campaigns to remind lawmakers about the measure and coalition building to demonstrate support.
While there are dramatic examples of the problems caused by climate change such as reductions in the polar ice caps and coral bleaching, people don't have to look very far to find reasons to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Mullin said.
"The increases in heavy flooding is one of the biggest threats that the Pittsburgh area faces," he said. "The storms are getting more intense and creating bigger problems."
The most recent winter storms that devastated Texas also demonstrate the need to take action sooner rather than later, he said.
"We can begin to solve these problems now rather than paying billions after the damage has been done," he said. "The carbon dioxide we are putting in the air now will be around for 100 years. I think it's important for us to think about what we are leaving behind for future generations and start working together to fix it."
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368, tlarussa@triblive.com or via Twitter .
