I read the Nov. 1 editorial “Lake Tahoe’s grim outlook is all the more reason to fight climate change.” I’m preparing for a Thanksgiving dinner to convince my family’s Republicans of the severity of the climate crisis. However, if my solution is more electric cars and President Joe Biden’s spending plans, I can assure you I will not have made any progress in the world’s fight for climate justice.
Federal spending and greener cars will not alleviate water scarcity concerns of Lake Mead. The larger problem is the development of the desert and failure to appropriately tax water. Electric cars are an expensive status symbol, with their best function being virtue signaling.
Taxation is a topic that can get Republicans to the Thanksgiving table. The laws of supply and demand hold that if a price of a good increases, the demand for it will decrease. A simple internet search will yield that Nevada benefits from some of the cheapest water in the country, yet we know it’s also the driest state in the country.
An increased water tax may drive out some industries, but if an industry is dependent on cheap water, that industry shouldn’t exist in the desert anyway. Water is a human right but failure of policy to protect it will ensure equal access when there is no longer water to access.