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I think we need to implement world-wide tax on pollution to avoid some crazy externalitiees. For example, cheap flights used frequently are a ridiculous luxury
by nextos 7y ago
I think we need to implement world-wide tax on pollution to avoid some crazy externalitiees.
For example, cheap flights used frequently are a ridiculous luxury we cannot afford. I know lots of people that use budget airlines more than once per month to make weekend trips across Europe.
The amount of CO2 they are putting into the atmosphere is simply insane. A bit more than doing the same trip by car, for each passenger.
- BurningFrog 7y agoA carbon tax is well known to be the rational solution to the problem. Even conservatives agree. It just happens to be politically impossible.
- Areading314 7y agoPeople pretend it's hard to create a carbon tax, but it's really not. Just tax the fuel (gas/oil/coal), and the cost will be passed on to polluters. Edit, of course, politically yes it's hard.
- aaaaaar 7y agoDoes it have to be? Planet Money had an episode about "revenue-neutral carbon tax", where all the money collected is returned back to the tax payers, to spend however they want. The point of this tax is not to raise money, but to change behavior. This, a family that drives to work and school every day will pay more carbon tax, but this will be offset by the tax refund (or lower income tax). And a family that finds ways to reduce their carbon footprint will benefit from the tax refund and able to spend it on other things. WA state had a carbon tax initiative but the revenues went to environmental efforts, and it failed. I think if it were made revenue-neutral, or heck, even made as an overall tax-cut to please the fiscal conservatives, I think it would pass (although it would face pushback from environmentally minded about not doing enough).
- BurningFrog 7y agoHere is the Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/carbon-fee-and-dividend/ https://citizensclimatelobby.org/carbon-fee-and-dividend/ I like it a lot, but the problem is the major industries that will be heavily impacted/closed down as a result. They have immense political power, and I don't see any way around that. Hope I'm wrong. And that's of course just one country out of 200. There is no local solution to global warming!
- ozmodiar 7y agoThey tried that here in Canada, and it is both too small to have much impact, and getting massive pushback from the Conservative party. You have to keep in mind that even if it’s revenue neutral, explaining the scheme to taxpayers is going to be difficult, and your opponents are going to try their darndest to make it sound unappealing, even if it means spreading misinformation.
- graeme 7y agoThe trouble is “polluters” is everyone in society. People who use a lot of carbon feel personally attacked bu such a tax...because itmis in fact directly affecting them. A carbon tax is my top priority. There’s no sense denying the opposition though. The yellow vest protests in france were from a fuel tax.
- sizzle 7y agoAre electric airplanes feasible in the foreseeable future?
- choeger 7y agoNo. That's physically not efficient. Synthetic fuels may be, though.
- icebraining 7y agoWe already know we can produce jet fuel from captured CO2 from the air. The trick is making it cheaper, particularly energy-wise. We can't dedicate half the world for solar panels to make fuel.
- godelski 7y ago> The trick is making it cheaper Honestly, this is a problem with a lot of technologies. Especially in the green sector. That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep funding research into it and trying to make it cheaper, but also a reason to be cautious.
- godelski 7y agoForeseeable future, yes. Short term future (<15 years)? I wouldn't hold my breath. Might happen, but probably not.