More than 500 people were at Montpelier High School on Saturday for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ conference on global warming. “We can make real progress if we move away from coal, if we move away from oil, if we move to sustainable energy, if we move to energy efficiency and, by the way, when we do that we are also going to create a whole lot of jobs in the United States of America,” Sanders said. Vermont, the senator added, can set an example for the rest of the country. “We can be a leader in showing the rest of the country what sensible energy policy is about,” Sanders said.

Along with Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sanders recently introduced legislation that includes a tax on carbon. "Scientists are telling us that if we don't get our act together, that if we don’t cut back our carbon emissions, the temperature of the planet earth with rise by 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century, and 8 degrees is catastrophic," Sanders said.

The proposed tax on carbon emission would reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, encourage U.S. companies to move to cleaner forms of energy, increase efficiency of existing fossil fuels and help develop new technologies. Rebates to consumers would reduce the impact of the tax on their energy bills. The revenue raised also would be used to help invest in clean energy technologies and solve our budget problems. “We will never fully deal with this crisis until Congress passes strong legislation. Sen. Boxer and I are going to fight as hard as we can to do that, and we will work to rally support from American families all across this country that care deeply about their children and grandchildren's future, and want to protect them from this planetary crisis,” Sanders said.

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