Climate News
Thirty years ago, as the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer was dwindling at alarming rates, we were serving proudly under President Ronald Reagan. We remember his leading role in negotiating the Montreal Protocol, which continues to protect and restore the delicate ozone layer. Today the world faces a similar challenge: the threat of climate change.
A group of Republican elder statesmen is calling for a tax on carbon emissions to fight climate change.
A “carbon tax” is one way to price carbon emissions generated from the burning of fossil fuels—e.g., coal and natural gas—to generate energy.
Economist call these emissions “negative externalities” because their costs—especially in terms of environmental harm—are not borne solely by the producer, but by the community. Thus, the actual cost to society of producing energy is higher than the cost to individuals.
By David Siders
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday said a tax on carbon dioxide emissions has potential and suggested he was open to the idea.
The Democratic governor, a fiscal moderate but longtime champion of environmental causes, noted support among some conservatives for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, in which proceeds are not held by the government.
