The emissions per ton of coal, cubic foot of natural gas, or gallon of gasoline is a known quantity, so the tax can be set as a tax on each fuel source. More troubling, people in the poorest counties will suffer disproportionately from climate change.ĭescribe how a carbon tax would work-and who would pay most for it, consumers or producers?Ī carbon tax raises the price of fossil fuels-coal, natural gas, and petroleum products-based on the carbon emissions of each fuel. counties-primarily in the South-could suffer damages from climate change that exceed 10 or even 20 percent of income if we don’t act to reduce our carbon pollution. Looking forward, a study by a prominent group of climate researchers and economists estimates that many U.S. A harvest that normally takes twenty minutes by flooding the fields took her three days, required expensive machines, and resulted in a loss of ten to fifteen percent of the crop. The 2016 extreme drought conditions in New England forced her to “dry harvest” her cranberry crop. My book documents the plight of a cranberry grower in southeastern Massachusetts. “Many other greenhouse gases could also be taxed in a straightforward way.” Photo: Alonso NicholsWe can see the damages on a very local scale as well. “A carbon tax would encourage users of coal-mainly electricity generators-to switch from high-carbon coal to lower-carbon natural gas or to wind, solar, or other zero-carbon sources,” said Gilbert Metcalf. The county was paralyzed by over forty inches of rain that put much of the area under more than a foot and a half of water. They can be widespread-such as the residents of Houston and surrounding Harris County discovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. People pay for our inaction through the damages they suffer. Gilbert Metcalf: Burning fossil fuels and resulting carbon dioxide emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect, which, in turn, leads to more extreme weather. Tufts Now : Your book is titled Paying for Pollution-can you talk about some of the ways we pay for pollution now by leaving it unfettered? To find out more, Tufts Now recently talked with Metcalf about the cost of not taxing carbon, who pays the biggest price, and the way forward. “Economists often talk about the ‘invisible hand,’ Adam Smith’s metaphor for how markets can guide societies to efficient decisions a carbon tax ensures that the invisible hand has a green thumb,” said Metcalf. His proposal is that it be revenue neutral-meaning that the funds raised are returned to the economy through tax credits rather than paying for new government programs. The carbon tax that he proposes reflects the true long-term costs of different types of carbon-based energy sources, such as coal, natural gas, and oil. In his new book Paying for Pollution: Why a Carbon Tax Is Good for America (Oxford University Press), Metcalf details a path to make that happen. That’s why we need to change our carbon-based economy to a green economy, says economist Gilbert Metcalf, the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts. Every time we fill our gas tank, fire up the furnace, ride in an airplane, or use electricity generated by oil, coal, or natural gas, we are contributing to climate change worldwide.
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