James Hansen writes in the Guardian that we seem to have a problem with climate change. Thanks to this tweet by Barry Brook for the link.
That is not exactly news to me.
He then says the solution is making fossil fuel more expensive, by either imposing a “carbon price” or a “carbon fee”, which is the variation he would favor.
The difference is that with a “carbon fee” the income from the extra cost imposed on fossil fuel is paid right back to the consumers one way or other. Germany used to call this an “ecotax” when it was introduced a decade ago.
The problem is that in the United States, legislation is sold to the highest bidder, which is not James Hansen or Bill McKibben, but the fossil fuel industry. Therefore, to get this actually done, it would be useful to get the fossil fuel companies behind such a proposal.
There is a very easy way to force them to agree. Pay them some money.
Just say that the fossil fuel industry gets to keep some part of the extra money (maybe 30%) to compensate them for the losses they get from the smaller market volume. Have them calculate how their profits would go through the roof under such a scheme.
Then lean back and watch the wondrous transformation of the Republican party, which will very quickly start supporting this scheme. It will get enacted without opposition in a couple of months, just like the recent law turning formerly legitimate American airline companies into illegal organizations.
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