The rich can survive on a polluted planet, the poor cannot -- a carbon tax is the great equalizer
Just when partisan fervor has reached new heights in the halls of Congress, Republicans and Democrats are beginning to agree on policy in an unexpected area: climate change. The economic viability and positive environmental impact of a carbon price have energized both sides of the aisle.
On Tuesday, Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) announced that he’ll introduce a carbon tax as a means of generating funds for infrastructure improvements and reducing the pollution driving climate change. Earlier this year, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced carbon tax legislation, as well.
At first, it may seem difficult to see the connection between the policy of a carbon tax and a more sustainable world. With a federal law that puts a price on the pollution that is driving climate change, industries would no longer pollute the air for free. By simply making it more expensive to pollute, technologies like wind and solar become more competitive than their polluting big brothers.
Thanks to a growing body of research in the economics of energy, we know that a strong economy and a future free of fossil fuels are synergistic.
http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/398650-the-rich-can-survive-on-a-polluted-planet-the-poor-cannot-a-carbon