Consider a price floor on the sale of fossil fuels ⛽ …
Some people have suggested a carbon tax to raise the cost the fossil fuels. These taxes are unpopular, especially among fossil fuel interests (miners, oil workers, farmers with mineral rights) who fear lost profits and less jobs when fewer people buy fossil fuels. That’s a totally reasonable concern — that’s the goal of a carbon tax.
But what if instead of taxing carbon — or on top of taxing carbon — we were to set a minimum sales price on the sale of fossil fuels. For example, gasoline might currently cost $2.65 a gallon. But under a minimum sales price, no retailer could legally sell gasoline for less then $5.00 a gallon. Motorists might grumble a lot when they go to fill up their car, but fossil fuel interests would be held harmless — those who fill up at the higher price, less frequently — end of depositing the same amount of money in the hands of fossil fuel industry.
Liberals like to beat up on the oil industry, for good reason. They along with the railroads, the coal companies, the automakers and other leading industries have actively been denying climate change for a long time. But at the same time, they do provide an essential service, and their industry’s buy in to any climate plan is essential if we want to move forward. Maybe the solution would be a hybrid approach: combine a carbon tax with a price floor to ensure fossil fuel producers are held harmless as people move away from the climate disrupting fuels.
That’s how many states regulate cigarettes — it’s not a criminal offense or illegal to smoke cigarettes outside of public office buildings. But instead, the price of cigarettes is kept high by levying a special tax on each pack of cigarettes, along with requiring the retailers sell them at a state-proscribed minimum price. This discourages smokers, especially young ones, while ensuring retailers and tobacco interests aren’t harmed by fewer people smoking.
After this year's historic wildfires, California's oldest state park — Big Basin Redwoods — looks more like a logging village than an iconic hiking and camping mecca.
There's a near constant buzz of chainsaws. Rumblings from trucks and logging skidders fill the air as crews busily cut charred, fallen trees and chop down "hazard trees" rangers worry will topple on to the park's roadways.
It's estimated the wildfire, awkwardly named the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, burned through 97% of Big Basin's more than 18,000 acres, scorching its 4,400 acres of ancient redwoods and obliterating most of the park's infrastructure for camping and recreation.
The world will likely exceed 1.5C between 2026 and 2042 in scenarios where emissions are not rapidly reduced, with a central estimate of between 2030 and 2032.
The 2C threshold will likely be exceeded between 2034 and 2052 in the highest emissions scenario, with a median year of 2043.
In a scenario of modest mitigation –where emissions remain close to current levels – the 2C threshold would be exceeded between 2038 and 2072, with a median of 2052.
“I’m quite hopeful that with the new administration coming in, there will be change of sentiment and hopefully a change of direction,” Ben van Beurden said in the Web Summit conference. Without increased cooperation “I don’t think we are going to succeed in the energy transition.”
While it’s too early to say what exactly President-elect Joe Biden’s energy policies will be, his vow to rejoin the climate deal “is a pretty good start,” Van Beurden said. Some of Biden’s ideas are “not bad,” but it will be important to see how the practicalities of these policies play out.
The doctor tells you that shouldn’t do something, or you’ll pay the consequences later. 🍭Many people ignore their doctor, as they enjoy smoking or eating unhealthy foods. It’s pleasurable at least until the death bed, 🛏 we all do it. But then there is climate change… everybody loves fossil fuels… the fast cars, the lighting, the music, the technology. 🌎