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cap and trade – do you know what it refers to? most americans don't
May 21, 2009
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Cap and Trade; Girlawhirl hears it on the news, and when friends are in the midst of a political debate. And while yes, she knows that they're talking about a system to regulate carbon emissions, it seems she's in the minority. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, only 24% of Americans knew that Cap and Trade had something to do with the fight to stop global warming…
Here's how the numbers came in when the poll was taken earlier this month:
• 17% thought that Cap and Trade was a part of health care reform
• 24% knew that cap and trade was an environmental issue
• 29% thought it had something to do with Wall Street regulation
• 30% had no idea what it was
So what is Cap and Trade really, and how does the President want to apply it to the environment? The government sets a cap on emissions. Companies are then given a limit on how much greenhouse gas/carbon they can release into the atmosphere. If they release less, then they can trade or sell the rest of their allocations to companies that will exceed theirs.
There's plenty of debate about the ramifications of the system. But as with so many things, the first step is making sure everyone has a better understanding of what Cap and Trade means.
Find out more about how Cap and Trade works at the Environmental Protection Agency's website.
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