To the Editor:

Re “Taking a Call for Climate Change to the Streets” (front page, Sept. 22) and “Global Rise Reported in 2013 Greenhouse Gas Emissions” (news article, Sept. 22):

The People’s Climate March was heartening, but solving the climate crisis will require significant changes at the individual, community and national levels. Despite our efforts so far, global warming continues to accelerate.

Over the last four years, I’ve reduced my carbon emissions to a tenth of their 2010 level (which was near the American average), and I’m happier than ever. The number of people I meet who have made similar reductions is growing, and to a person they also report increased happiness.

We also urgently need meaningful change at the national level. The most effective climate policy the United States could adopt is a revenue-neutral carbon fee. The fee is added to all fossil fuels at points of extraction and import, and then distributed equally to households.

Far from hurting our economy, such a policy would improve our economy by stimulating the transition to renewables and putting money in the average person’s pocket. The case of British Columbia, which adopted a revenue-neutral carbon fee in 2008, bears out this bold claim.