Despite all the noise, the industrial pollution price adds virtually nothing to every day costs. By 2030, it will add just 0.1% to the price of goods — about 10 cents on a $100 purchase.

Cutting this policy won’t make life more affordable. But it will cost us more in the long run in medical care costs, insurance premiums, and adapting to extreme weather. And these costs will only go up the longer we fail to act, ratcheting up the unpaid bills we're leaving to our kids.

When it comes to the industrial carbon price, the cheapest path is also the cleanest one.