winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
What is not needed are any taxes on top of the costs already incurred. If society wants to tighten up the requirements, they can do that straight up and amend the appropriate statutes, not by taxing "carbon."
I believe there is sufficient information to state as fact that humans are putting more carbon dioxide into the air than the biosphere is absorbing.
I believe that there is sufficient information that this imbalance is a problem that we (society) needs to something to change this.
But as a philosophical belief, I strongly agree that 'carbon taxes' are a horrid approach to fixing the carbon dioxide imbalance.
Either the carbon tax will be too low, and it won't actually change the CO2 balance, or it will be high enough to possibly make a difference but governments will become dependent on this source of income. Governments love 'sin' taxes.
Because I believe that atmospheric CO2 balance is a problem, I believe that government intervention is necessary. But I believe that the intervention should be crafted to create markets that actually solve the problem.
While humans are emitting CO2 into the atmosphere, it is well known that the biosphere _exchanges_ far more CO2. In round numbers, every year the biosphere naturally emits 99 units of CO2 and absorbs 100 units, while humans emit about 5 units. (Very rough round numbers from memory; I don't even remember the units). If we could dial up the background absorption of CO2 by about 5%, that would do as much as reducing human CO2 production by 100%.
My suggestion: mandate that for every kg of CO2 equivalent produced, the producer is required to create or purchase a quantity of new CO2 absorption. No money to the government, no artificial constraint on how the CO2 gets absorbed. Requirements for the reliability and permanence of absorption, requirements for how carefully accounting must be done, requirements to account for CO2 in other countries for imports, etc., but the minimum requirements to get the job (CO2 balance) done. Steadily ramp up the CO2 sink requirement until we get to equilibrium.
Then let the markets figure out the best way to reach the goal. This might be by reducing CO2 emission, or by increasing CO2 absorption. We _might_ even get to a state where we ae emitting even more CO2, but the additional emissions would be balanced.
Eliminate biofuels mandates; in this scheme true reduced carbon biofuels would get a boost, but biofuels that are actually _worse_ carbon emitters need to go.
As much as possible eliminate the maze of incentives and indirect mandates, and instead have minimum mandates focused on the actual problem.
-Jon