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Bob Inglis’ conservative solution for climate change

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Bob Inglis, the former U.S. Representative who currently heads the Energy and Enterprise Initiative at George Mason University, has in interesting proposal to solve climate change.

“What conservative wouldn’t jump at the chance to reduce taxes on income and shift taxes onto really anything else?” he said during a recent discussion. “It makes sense to un-tax income — something we want more of, and shift the tax to CO2, something you want less of. It’s a no-brainer- change what you tax.”

Inglis says his views evolved from not believing in global warming to advocating our “moral obligation to restore Eden wherever possible.” But this doesn’t mean we should give up on energy production or consumption. “[W]e have a moral obligation to extend power to the developing world,” he says, “to make sure they have the freedom of mobility to light their homes at night and participate in this grand world.”

Of course, not everyone has applauded Inglis’ evolving positions. Regarding his reportedly rocky relationship with former Sen. Jim DeMint, Inglis says: “We’ve been able to smoke the peace pipe.”

Whether you agree with him, or not, this is an issue that conservatives must be able to discuss intelligently. Listen to the full interview here and download the podcast on iTunes.

Sam Scorzo contributed to this post.