Today, Shell Oil called on nations everywhere to establish a carbon tax "to combat global warming". Shell was joined by Unilever (drugs and consumer products) Alstrom (a manufacturer) and 97 other large multinationals.
Today, the World Bank ask the nations of the world to take immediate actions to stop global warming as it will fall heaviest on the poor nations but impact us all.
A few days ago, Price Waterhouse, the accounting firm to billionaires and corporations sent notice their customers global warming is real and will do great harm to their investments, starting now.
A few weeks ago, Germany's insurance companies sent their largest clients the same notice Price Waterhouse has.
A few years ago, the German Army, and (in the closing days of Bush 43) the Pentagon published their findings that global warming was real and would set in motion mass migrations, wars over water and farmable land, make some regions unproductive and lawless.
Are the conservatives/baggers/thumpers listening?
ReplyDeleteRon
A carbon tax eh? Sounds like they will be wanting us regular people to foot the bill rather than cleaning up their own messes. I suppose we should be happy they're at least admitting they've created a problem. Or actually, they're probably not admitting to anything but rather acting like gee gosh golly something went wrong and you people should fix it.
ReplyDeleteIn a round about way I guess we will foot the bill, but only for that portion of our purchases that rely on products that have a foundation built on a heavy carbon foot print. Normally this is conceived as a levy on the production of fuels such as natural gas, coal, and petroleum, thus encouraging non-carbon fuels and technologies to emerge in the market and better compete against large carbon emitting corporations. This makes alternatives energy more attractive, trains and busses, energy efficient buildings, even organic foods (since oil is the bases for most fertilizers & pesticides). It would also perhaps convince diesel truck drivers to turn off their engine when stopped, and give up the myth they are hard to start and don't burn much at idle, the starting problem has been solved 40 years ago.
ReplyDeleteSome countries are proposing to put carbon taxes on everything coming out of a nation that is doing little or nothing to control pollution. This would be like the laws the US regularly passes as in the example of Cuba, if you do to much business with them, we punish you with business penalties.
Carbon tax can also be sold as credits when companies make improvements, their product comes under less tax and they can sell offsets to other companies. As industry, and consumers adjust their product productions and purchases and lifestyles it will be able to avoid the tax over time.
If the world will continue to abuse the nature, then let's wait for the time for the nature's revenge. I hope we will help preserve what has been given to us.
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