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Abstract
Climate change poses a significant risk to every country, but some–including the United States–are currently responsible for a disproportionate amount of carbon emissions relative to their populations. Environmental legislation targeted at reducing emissions takes several forms, with the U.S. recently implementing a broad suite of interventions partially aimed at addressing the country’s output. However, this legislation is insufficient for fully bringing U.S emissions down to target levels to properly address climate change. The current implementations also primarily focus on the supply-side, targeting financial incentives at producers and subsidizing technological improvements, whereas demand-side policy is relatively under-examined. This policy proposal outlines two potential additional measures that primarily target consumer behavior as a point for improvement, specifically focusing on the agricultural sector. The existing literature is thoroughly examined, taking findings from several other countries in order to estimate what categories of intervention would see the most success. First, I propose an alternative public education campaign that aims to emphasize the personal moral component of climate-related behavior in order to account for weaknesses in previous similar efforts. In addition, a sales tax targeting products like ruminant and processed meats could significantly reduce emissions by reducing consumption of the most damaging food products while simultaneously improving public health outcomes and not excessively intruding on perceptions of personal freedom. These interventions are relatively easy to implement and maintain, target an under-addressed component of the economy, and could–if successful–serve as a model for comparable nations to follow.