cap-and-dividend

Right now, the leading global warming law pending in the Senate would give away rights to pollute the sky for free. The rights would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Sounds like a bad idea, doesn't it?

Here's a promising alternative, gaining popularity: it's called the Sky Trust. It's also know more technically as cap-and-dividend or cap-and-recycle, because it's different from cap-and trade.

The idea behind the Sky Trust is this: The atmosphere is a public "commons," belonging to everyone. Not to the government. Not to corporations. Not to polluters, gaming the system. We all "own" the sky, equally, and therefore we all ought to be equal beneficiaries of any system designed to protect it.