Don't mourn, organize, writes CTC's Charles Komanoff in Gristmill. "Surrendering just when a political critical mass is assembling to attack carbon emissions is ... un-American. A carbon tax is essential, and the work of coaxing the public and pressuring policymakers has to start now." (Climate 'Realism' Demands Carbon Tax, Feb. 7)
Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker: Arguments that a carbon or oil tax would ruin the economy are "fundamentally false" -- According to the International Herald Tribune, Volcker stated that taxes either on emissions or on petroleum could be effective in reducing global warming, that it would be wiser to impose a tax on oil than wait for the market to force prices up, that measures to reduce global warming would not be economically devastating and, putting the issue in perspective:
"What may happen to the dollar, and what may happen to growth in China or whatever," he said, raising his voice, "pale into insignificance compared with the question of what happens to this planet over the next 30 or 40 years if no action is taken."
(Economist Paul Volcker Says Steps to Curb Global Warming Would Not Devastate an Economy, Feb. 6)
Arizona Republic columnist: Listen to the economists and support a carbon tax -- "Economists have long preferred a carbon tax to a cap-and-trade regimen. A small tax would likely have a large effect. Once the infrastructure for collecting the tax is in place, an increased rate is just a vote away. Even with a small tax, carbon emissions would become an unpredictable variable cost, creating a large incentive to reconfigure production processes to reduce or eliminate them ...Politicians frequently ignore the preferences of economists, since economists usually prefer a reduced role for the preferences of politicians ... However, if serious action is to be taken on global warming, someone in the political class needs to start paying attention to them." Robert Robb (Cool It on Global Warming, Feb. 7)
Washington Post columnist: No to carbon trading, Yes to carbon tax -- "I no longer believe that a complicated carbon trading regime -- in which industries trade emissions "credits" -- would work within the United States ... So much is at stake for so many industries that the legislative process to create it would be easily distorted by their various lobbies. Any lasting solutions will have to be extremely simple, and -- because of the cost implicit in reducing the use and emissions of fossil fuels -- will also have to benefit those countries that impose them in other ways. Fortunately, there is such a solution, one that is grippingly unoriginal, requires no special knowledge of economics and is easy for any country to implement. It's called a carbon tax, and it should be applied across the board ..." Anne Applebaum (Global Warming's Simple Remedy, Feb. 6)
Gore-Obama Take White House with Carbon-Tax Pledge -- "It's 2009... Astride the executive branch stands the only American ever to win a Nobel Peace Price prior to being elected president: Al Gore... (Vice President Barack Obama boasts merely a Grammy.) Gore and Obama won the race with a simple two-part message. They promised to draw down American forces from Iraq and Iran and leave behind no permanent bases. And they promised New Strength: a domestic renewal program driven by investment in clean energy infrastructure, a stiff tax on carbon, and a national crash program of energy efficiency and conservation. Fantasy? Not any more," writes Grist editor and Gristmill blogger Dave Roberts on TomPaine.com (Going for Broke on Climate Change, Feb. 6)
