Warum die CO2-Bepreisung laut einer neuen Studie das fehlende Glied in der US-Klimapolitik ist – Anreize können die schnelle Einführung saubererer Technologien frühzeitig vorantreiben, aber ohne die Bepreisung von Kohlenstoff- und Methanemissionen wird die Dekarbonisierung langfristig ins Stocken geraten

A price on carbon is [widely regarded](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0474-0.epdf?author_access_token=tst1A-oZnQ8zUO18wGGPQdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Nfy3PIgvrwnNXQzIbXH8z1Wkqhm6g5NiMnxMk__ebsKxGQNB0hMf1Vpo-ZiNplSt5LeLyks-Q3sdrpBdfxxHvAfQylqqwqHxgEml7GEGOxaQ%3D%3D) as the single most impactful climate mitigation policy, and for [good reason](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/rqg2y0/i_used_mits_climate_policy_simulator_to_order_its/). It’s also [a surprisingly good time to put one in place](https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/238108/1/HEIDWP-202117.pdf). Americans [increasingly understand](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/26/us-voters-link-climate-crisis-affordability) unchecked climate change is hurting our wallets, and [a strong majority supports a carbon tax](https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/).

A [growing proportion of global emissions are covered by a carbon price](https://www.reddit.com/r/carbontax/comments/1punqox/28_of_global_emissions_are_covered_by_a_direct/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), and we can now say with [high confidence](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_summary-for-policymakers.pdf) that [carbon taxes work](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-020-00436-x) and [are in each nation’s own best interest](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2015/wp15105.pdf).

[Getting environmentalists to vote](https://www.environmentalvoter.org/get-involved) and [directly lobbying lawmakers](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/join-citizens-climate-lobby/) for [specific policy changes](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClimateOffensive/comments/1q1ytuh/a_carbon_tax_is_widely_regarded_as_the_single/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) are two of [the best ways for an individual to address climate change](https://drawdown.org/shift).