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0 pointsDyslexicAtheist7y ago0 comments

let me fix that for you:

if you want to reduce emissions stop consuming

0 comments

Institute a carbon tax that fully captures the externalities of releasing CO2 in the air and people will be forced to.

I also like the idea of paying out the proceeds of the tax as a dividend per capita. This would help prevent the tax from being regressive. Maybe also cap emissions instead of just taxing so that we can control the total amount of emissions.

Cthulhu_7y ago

Institute a carbon tax and it'll vanish into someone's pocket while the manufactured goods still have the same emissions.

dontreact7y ago

You can have a revenue neutral carbon tax where the funds go back into people’s pockets, but the change in consumption pattern would happen because for example renewable energy would not increase in price.

alexandercrohde7y ago

Spend the tax money on building offset mechanisms to recapture Carbon. Though not as cost-efficient as reducing carbon creation, they have the advantage that we can visit these facilities and verify they exist and are working.

2 more replies

ForHackernews7y ago

I almost don't care where the tax money goes. If things cost more, consumers buy less of them. If carbon-intensive things are more expensive, there will be less carbon-intensive things. This is like market economics 101.

empath757y ago

I imagine they wouldn’t because goods that use significantly less carbon will cost significantly less.

I don’t care what you do with the taxes, the point is making sure that goods are priced appropriately.

NeedMoreTea7y ago

Use some of it to subsidise insulation and better standard buildings, cleaner air and power, better railways etc.

Fund a UBI.

I'm fascinated at downvotes for this suggestion. What's actually wrong with spending part on lower impact infrastructure and part on a replacement for a broken welfare system?

3 more replies

tomp7y ago

How would you price those externalities, given that there’s currently no way to offset/capture that CO2?

deegles7y ago

There are plenty of existing methods that become economically viable if CO2 is priced properly.

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conjectures7y ago

'fully captures' is hard to do.

International tax harmonisation is even harder.

:'(

StreamBright7y ago

I can consume energy coming from clean sources like nuclear (focusing on the CO2) and renewable and I can also consume energy coming from coal power plants. Same thing with many other resources. I can order from Amazon a pen-drive with frustration free packaging which is also less garbage production and I can order the regular one which has insane amount of garbage for no good reason. I can use LED lights or normal ones. People can be smart about consumption. That is the biggest impact on CO2 production, not something like a piece of paper signed by politicians. That is my point.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

empath757y ago

Institute a carbon tax that fully captures the externalities of releasing CO2 in the air and people will be forced to.

dwiel7y ago

Cthulhu_7y ago

Institute a carbon tax and it'll vanish into someone's pocket while the manufactured goods still have the same emissions.

dontreact7y ago

alexandercrohde7y ago

2 more replies

ForHackernews7y ago

empath757y ago

I imagine they wouldn’t because goods that use significantly less carbon will cost significantly less.

I don’t care what you do with the taxes, the point is making sure that goods are priced appropriately.

NeedMoreTea7y ago

Use some of it to subsidise insulation and better standard buildings, cleaner air and power, better railways etc.

Fund a UBI.

I'm fascinated at downvotes for this suggestion. What's actually wrong with spending part on lower impact infrastructure and part on a replacement for a broken welfare system?

3 more replies

tomp7y ago

How would you price those externalities, given that there’s currently no way to offset/capture that CO2?

deegles7y ago

There are plenty of existing methods that become economically viable if CO2 is priced properly.

1 more reply

conjectures7y ago

'fully captures' is hard to do.

International tax harmonisation is even harder.

:'(

StreamBright7y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse