Our Assembly is considering joining with other U.S. cities to endorse the Paris climate accord — a position recently abandoned by the Trump administration. A recent letter to the Juneau Empire indicated the U.S. would have been responsible for contributing about $500 billion to help emerging economies conform to the accord.
The coincidence: I used fourth-grade arithmetic to calculate Juneau’s share of the $500-billion contribution to be about $44 million — that’s right, the same amount to be raised by our 1 percent sales tax revenue. Are we willing to put that money where our mouth is to help Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, and other emerging economies grow with a reduced carbon footprint? Can the Assembly really afford to allocate valuable meeting minutes to international matters while refusing to fund them? Meanwhile, we have streets with potholes, sewer processing problems, decrepit infrastructure, daycare needs, etc, etc.
Also, if we think clearly, we realize the U.S. has already abundantly blessed all emerging economies. We gave them PCs, laptops, cellphones, software, the internet, GPS, national defense, default currency, and countless other technological achievements from light bulbs and telephones to nuclear energy and apple pie. The list is endless. Isn’t it they who owe us rather than we who owe them?
Please ask frivolously-inclined Assembly members to follow the lead of sober-minded members and remain focused on local matters — we already elected a national government.
Current riddle: What is the cost to Juneau taxpayers of one minute of a City and Borough of Juneau Assembly meeting? Answer forthcoming.
Wayne Coogan
Juneau