Category: carbon tax

A carbon reduction incentive could neutralise the current opposition to carbon taxes while reducing carbon-intensive activities in a much more targeted and fair way

The accomplishments of carbon taxes over the last decade have been underwhelming. What if, instead of making fuel and other commodities and services more expensive, we used a financial incentive to make technologies that help reduce emissions – such as solar, wind and geothermal energy – more affordable? Sumedha Basu, PhD Candidate in Sustainability at … Continue reading A carbon reduction incentive could neutralise the current opposition to carbon taxes while reducing carbon-intensive activities in a much more targeted and fair way →

While carbon taxes have their appeal, there are easier ways to fund sustainable energy

Steve Cohen writes on the Earth Institute website of Columbia University that efforts should be on reducing the costs of renewable energy rather than increasing the costs of fossil fuels. He states that we “need to stop scolding people for "misbehavior" and start figuring out how to reduce the environmental impact of the things that … Continue reading While carbon taxes have their appeal, there are easier ways to fund sustainable energy →

There’s still no consensus on the cost of carbon

There's still no consensus on the cost of carbon, and it's blocking progress on emissions around the world, writes Andrew Warren, chair of the British Energy Efficiency Federation and a regular contributor to EiD.   It's been 30 years, and we still don't know how much to charge for carbon This year marks the thirtieth … Continue reading There’s still no consensus on the cost of carbon →

Is giving breaks to industrial emitters the right way forward in the energy transition?

Shawn McCarthy writes in Canada’s Globe and Mail about the federal government’s plans to give breaks to industry from the ambitious environmental agenda in order to limit the economic impact. Is this really the way to proceed?   Ottawa prepares to relax carbon-pricing measures to aid industry competitiveness The Liberal government is set to introduce … Continue reading Is giving breaks to industrial emitters the right way forward in the energy transition? →

The energy transition in Alberta

The collapse in oil prices has had a significant impact on the Canadian province of Alberta. The tar sands together with conventional fossil fuels have dominated the economy for decades. But the provincial government has had to diversify and it has been making good progress. Emma Graney writes a good article in the Edmonton Journal … Continue reading The energy transition in Alberta →

Opinion on a possible carbon tax in the US

Following the agreement between the US and China on curbing emissions, there has been considerable attention paid to the way forward. Eduardo Porter recently wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times arguing that a carbon tax is the one tool available to trim carbon emissions on a relevant scale but that it remains … Continue reading Opinion on a possible carbon tax in the US →

Politicians and economists – who do you believe?

We find that the Prime Ministers of Australia and Canada are convinced that carbon taxes do not work. Munir Sheikh, an executive fellow at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, and a former chief statistician of Canada argues the case of the economists in Canada’s Globe and Mail.   What do these PMs … Continue reading Politicians and economists – who do you believe? →