Comments on: At Davos, Stern Calls for Carbon Tax http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/ Getting real about stopping climate change Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:41:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Aaron http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-18 Aaron Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:14:39 +0000 http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-18 Did you see Thomas Friedman also called for a carbon tax in his column on, I think it was Thursday? Did you see Thomas Friedman also called for a carbon tax in his column on, I think it was Thursday?

]]> By: Phil http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-22 Phil Mon, 29 Jan 2007 23:30:47 +0000 http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-22 One thing I haven't seen mentioned: the matter of international trade.  If the U.S. implemented a carbon tax, it would presumably apply to CO2 emissions required to manufacture imported merchandise as well as to the means of production in the U.S. If so, then it's a great solution -- it means that places like China and India would have a large economic incentive to reduce CO2 emissions, to enable cheap access to the U.S. market.  It in effect brings the export portions of their economies into Kyoto!  A good analogy for this is how California emissions standards have improved pollution across North America.  This is a way in which a carbon tax has a great advantage over cap-and-trade. If not, then we might find we have not closed down polluting industries, but simply moved them overseas.  Rapidly rising seas. -Phil One thing I haven’t seen mentioned: the matter of international trade.  If the U.S. implemented a carbon tax, it would presumably apply to CO2 emissions required to manufacture imported merchandise as well as to the means of production in the U.S.
If so, then it’s a great solution — it means that places like China and India would have a large economic incentive to reduce CO2 emissions, to enable cheap access to the U.S. market.  It in effect brings the export portions of their economies into Kyoto!  A good analogy for this is how California emissions standards have improved pollution across North America.  This is a way in which a carbon tax has a great advantage over cap-and-trade.
If not, then we might find we have not closed down polluting industries, but simply moved them overseas.  Rapidly rising seas.
-Phil

]]> By: Dan http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-25 Dan Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:29:33 +0000 http://carbontax.wrkng.net/blogarchives/2007/01/25/at-davos-stern-calls-for-carbon-tax/#comment-25 <p>Aaron - Thanks. Another excellent Thomas Friedman column.</p><p>Phil - Good point, although I think you exaggerate how much of the pollution will move overseas.  If you have a good way to tax the carbon in imported goods, we're interested in hearing about it.  I assume that it will be next to impossible to do so and that there will be some "leakage" as some emissions shift out of the country.  A global carbon tax would certainly be preferable, but we have to start somewhere and a national carbon tax is certainly far better than nothing.  In fact, a state carbon tax would be a step in the right direction even though there would be leakage between states.  </p><p>If you look at our slide show (on our home page), you'll see in slide #6 that Americans emit in a week what others emit in a workweek.   Another reason not to wait for a global tax -- we have a lot more to cut here at home.<br /></p> Aaron - Thanks. Another excellent Thomas Friedman column.

Phil - Good point, although I think you exaggerate how much of the pollution will move overseas.  If you have a good way to tax the carbon in imported goods, we’re interested in hearing about it.  I assume that it will be next to impossible to do so and that there will be some "leakage" as some emissions shift out of the country.  A global carbon tax would certainly be preferable, but we have to start somewhere and a national carbon tax is certainly far better than nothing.  In fact, a state carbon tax would be a step in the right direction even though there would be leakage between states. 

If you look at our slide show (on our home page), you’ll see in slide #6 that Americans emit in a week what others emit in a workweek.   Another reason not to wait for a global tax — we have a lot more to cut here at home.

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