NYT: In Ireland, Carbon Taxes Pay Off

[wtmusic]

"DUBLIN — Over the last three years, with its economy in tatters, Ireland embraced a novel strategy to help reduce its staggering deficit: charging households and businesses for the environmental damage they cause.

The government imposed taxes on most of the fossil fuels used by homes, offices, vehicles and farms, based on each fuel’s carbon dioxide emissions, a move that immediately drove up prices for oil, natural gas and kerosene. Household trash is weighed at the curb, and residents are billed for anything that is not being recycled.

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Environmentally and economically, the new taxes have delivered results. Long one of Europe’s highest per-capita producers of greenhouse gases, with levels nearing those of the United States, Ireland has seen its emissions drop more than 15 percent since 2008."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/science/earth/in-ireland-carbon-taxes-pay-off.html?_r=0

[Yo_Mama]

1. What nonsense

It's not the carbon tax that collapsed Irish emissions, it was the collapsing economy, which at one point was down more than 22%:
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A carbon tax might be a fine strategy with great outcomes, but this is not the way to prove it.

[wtmusic]

2. Sometimes you just have to read on.

"Although much of that decline can be attributed to a recession, changes in behavior also played a major role, experts say, noting that the country’s emissions dropped 6.7 percent in 2011 even as the economy grew slightly. "

[NoOneMan]

3. Its very difficult to prove their effectiveness at reducing emissions

Carbon taxes also highly incentivize outsourcing production, which increases aggregate emissions due to lackluster regulations and transporting goods.

I remain unconvinced. I don't mind paying it so far (its not a bad idea), but I don't think it will be as environmentally effective as it is at raising revenue

[wtmusic]

4. Agree, a lot of variables to consider

although Ireland has already outsourced most production and is largely a service economy (like the US).