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Have there been any significant carbon taxes implemented, though? I have only seen very mild, half-hearted measures because politicians are reluctant to annoy t

Have there been any significant carbon taxes implemented, though? I have only seen very mild, half-hearted measures because politicians are reluctant to annoy their constituents and their contributors. Getting them to do carbon restriction by fiat will be even harder.

joe_the_user 5y ago
Have there been any significant carbon taxes implemented, though? Quite a few countries have implemented carbon taxes [1], in fact. Sure, these basically token taxes. But my point is that they couldn't be anything else - a large tax would hinder the average person's ability to function while not changing a lot of behavior. Public transit in my area is close to non-existent and I have moderate efficient car but everyone couldn't suddenly acquire a very efficient car since only so many are made per year. I rent and so I have no choice about how efficient my isolation is, etc. Changes in energy consumption require coordinated action, not individual incentives. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax#Implementation_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax#Implementation_by_c...
- NumberWangMan 5y ago
  I don't disagree with you. Suddenly creating a big tax causes a lot of strife, but setting a tax that is too low doesn't create enough of a change in emissions. But I think there is a solution here: implement a tax that starts low and continuously increases. Is doesn't hurt at first, but if everyone knows the tax will keep going up, that creates a strong incentive to alter your choices even before it gets high. It also gives people time to adjust gradually where necessary-some changes that would be really painful to make in a month could be completely painless if you're given 4 years. There's a bill in the US that a lot of people are pushing for that would work like I've described: https://energyinnovationact.org/ https://energyinnovationact.org/
joe_the_user 5y ago
Also: Getting them to do carbon restriction by fiat will be even harder. Oh, a state organized decreases in carbon consumption could look like: "here's an electric car you can trade your broken down gas car for", "here's a program that will insulate your house for free", "here's a bunch of public transit lines leading to shopping centers, recreation and work". The state doesn't have to solve these problems by applying "the stick" to the average person, despite the average HN commentors' apparent eagerness to do this.

joe_the_user 5y ago

Have there been any significant carbon taxes implemented, though? Quite a few countries have implemented carbon taxes [1], in fact. Sure, these basically token taxes. But my point is that they couldn't be anything else - a large tax would hinder the average person's ability to function while not changing a lot of behavior. Public transit in my area is close to non-existent and I have moderate efficient car but everyone couldn't suddenly acquire a very efficient car since only so many are made per year. I rent and so I have no choice about how efficient my isolation is, etc. Changes in energy consumption require coordinated action, not individual incentives. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax#Implementation_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax#Implementation_by_c...

NumberWangMan 5y ago
I don't disagree with you. Suddenly creating a big tax causes a lot of strife, but setting a tax that is too low doesn't create enough of a change in emissions. But I think there is a solution here: implement a tax that starts low and continuously increases. Is doesn't hurt at first, but if everyone knows the tax will keep going up, that creates a strong incentive to alter your choices even before it gets high. It also gives people time to adjust gradually where necessary-some changes that would be really painful to make in a month could be completely painless if you're given 4 years. There's a bill in the US that a lot of people are pushing for that would work like I've described: https://energyinnovationact.org/ https://energyinnovationact.org/

joe_the_user 5y ago

Also: Getting them to do carbon restriction by fiat will be even harder. Oh, a state organized decreases in carbon consumption could look like: "here's an electric car you can trade your broken down gas car for", "here's a program that will insulate your house for free", "here's a bunch of public transit lines leading to shopping centers, recreation and work". The state doesn't have to solve these problems by applying "the stick" to the average person, despite the average HN commentors' apparent eagerness to do this.