We Want to Hear from You
Charles and I created the Carbon Tax Center because prompt and effective action to reduce carbon emissions is imperative to slow and then stop the world from hurtling towards a climate disaster. We are convinced that a carbon tax is essential to reduce U.S. emissions quickly and steeply enough to prevent atmospheric concentrations of CO2 from reaching an irreversible tipping point. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration is doing practically nothing and most of the proposals for action do not go far enough. We want CTC to serve the climate advocacy community. Please tell us what you think about our web site, what you like, what you want to change, etc. We’ll listen and respond.
This website is a great idea. I’ve been telling people for years that most important thing an individual can do for the environment is to write your congressman and senators and tell them you support pollution taxes. Now that a consensus is at last forming that global warming is a problem and that controlling CO2 emissions is the solution, I now fear that legislators will implement something terribly inefficient and unjust. I sincerely hope that your recommendations of a broad CO2 tax and either payroll tax relief or simple rebates to each household can take center stage. Elegant, efficient and just. Heaven knows that utilities and manufacturers will be making their best efforts to frame the debate and I doubt that any of those adjectives will describe their recommendations. A. Joseph Guse, Department of Economics, Washington & Lee University
Comment by Joseph Guse — January 24, 2007 @ 8:51 am
I love that there’s a site like this! I decided to look up the URL because I thought there had to be something (and I was going to aquire it if there wasn’t!)
I would suggest that the battle for carbon taxes is a global one, so I’d very much appreciate a Canadian section to this site. As you probably know, Canada is a net exporter of fossil fuels, so the political turmoil surrounding carbon taxation is especially sinister. In the 80s, we had a particularly flamboyant prime minister who tried to put a tax on carbon (which is mostly dug up in Alberta) as a way of sharing that province’s wealth with the rest of the country. Hence, there’s a bit of unease and suspicion surrounding the concept. It’s a challenge we must overcome.
My impression is that many industry groups oppose carbon taxes in favour of regulatory measures because carbon taxes would actually work and are also harder to corrupt. The depth of my devotion to the concept of carbon taxes is difficult to exaggerate.. I’m always ranting about it at work, and I’ve written numerous letters to MPs requesting it. It seems that to get things done in a democracy, you really need to convince the electorate… and this site might be just the thing.
Thank you!
Comment by Jurgen Hissen — January 25, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
Joseph - Thanks! Please help us spread the word.
Jurgen - Thanks for your comment. The optimal carbon tax would be global, but global is way beyond our resources. Realistically, we have to start at the national level here in the United States, perhaps even working on model carbon taxes at the state level. We just don’t have the resources to tackle Canada at this time. Do you have a report on the carbon tax issue in Canada that we could post on our "Reports" page?
Comment by Dan — January 25, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
Dan and Charles:
Thank you for this site. Now, we’ve simply got to direct more eyeballs to it. Not an easy challenge, but I’ll certainly do what I’m able and hope others will as well. I first came across it when prompted by a mention on the Environmental Economics blog, which as a non-economically-savvy sustainability advocate I try to follow.
I’ve found the notion of taxing carbon interesting since reading some of Hawken/Lovins’ writings in Natural Capitalism. One way or another, we’ve got to get there.
Best wishes for success,
Larry Grob
theunlikelyactivist.com
Comment by Larry Grob — February 1, 2007 @ 6:29 am
Larry - Thanks for the help. We appreciate your helping get the word out.
Comment by Dan — February 2, 2007 @ 12:16 pm
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Make no mistake, this is a shameless and clever grab for power over the economies of the world. And how better to disguise that confiscatory fleecing and control but by intimating that there is a (false) global disaaster in the offing all caused by mans irresponcible actions. BALDERDASH!!!!!! Weather patterns over the centuries have shown periods of colder and warmer times, all occuring in the abscence of human influence. Multiple ice ages intersperced with periods of global warming. Greenland-now a block of ice was once"green" and the earth much much warmer than it is at present. Global change is inevitable but not necessarily predictable. "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it" or to be duped as "usefull idiots" to do the bidding of their own enslavement. That is the goal of the globalist, the socialist , the liberalist the New World Order crowd. Cradle to grave CONTROL. Taxation, loss of liberties. NO THANKS. People need to be more discerning and to recognize good from evil. Never take these issues. at face value. They’re like onions, the more layers you peel, the more it STINKS.
Comment by A P Mikula — February 8, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
A P Mikula - I have the feeling we are not likely to have a productive conversation or find common ground. I’d suggest that you might want to actually read the material on our web site, but I expect that you would not be interested in doing so. Thanks for your thoughts.
Comment by Dan — February 8, 2007 @ 8:22 pm