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Air travel isn't something that can be offshored - if somebody in America wants to fly, they're getting on a plane in America, where an American carbon tax woul
by dymk 4y ago
Air travel isn't something that can be offshored - if somebody in America wants to fly, they're getting on a plane in America, where an American carbon tax would apply.
Sure, it doesn't fix industries which can offshore, but it's a good place to start. Commercial air is a major source of carbon emissions.
- TheSpiceIsLife 4y agoOr would in data claims air travel accounts for about 3.5% of carbon emissions. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation
- dymk 4y agoWe agree that that’s a huge amount, right?
- TheSpiceIsLife 4y agoIn gross tonnage, yes sure. I don't agree that 3.5% is a huge fraction.
- Raidion 4y agoMy quick google says it's 2.5% of carbon emissions (for both passengers and cargo). If we add a carbon tax, do you consider the prime benefit to be the reduction in demand (if it means 20% less air travel, that's .5% total global carbon emissions reduction) Or do you feel like the prime benefit is to spur/incentivize more carbon neutral strategies (like electric aircraft?)? Or, do you feel like the primary benefit would be the "offsets" (like protecting trees, carbon capture technology, etc) I see a lot of talk about reducing carbon emissions, but it seems like there are a lot of things a "carbon tax" could change, and I feel like deciding on what one of those is the primary benefit is a harder problem than leveraging the tax in the first place.
- edmundsauto 4y agoNaive question: Are airliner emissions more harmful because they are further up in the atmosphere?
- vkou 4y agoYes, they are, but not vastly. Air travel is still a small fraction of the average westerner's carbon footprint.
- edmundsauto 4y agoBut aren't some of the emissions (sulfur based ones) significantly more harmful than pure CO2 released, and (from what I remember about Nathan Myhrvold's work) much more impactful when released at 40k feet? Just wondering if measuring the CO2 volume is less relevant when talking about releasing sulfurs at altitude.
- criddell 4y agoIs that because the average westerner doesn’t fly every year? How does it change if you only look at people who fly?
- vkou 4y agoI'm talking about average, not median. Ground transportation and home energy use and industrial energy use all dwarf the average flight emissions.
- criddell 4y agoI’m asking about individuals. I’ve flown a couple times this year. I’ve been airborne for about 20 hours. Are you saying my portion of the emissions from those flights is likely negligible compared to the emissions from owning a home and car?
- 4y ago