<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for A new int’l org works toward a global carbon market, leaves U.S. federal gov’t out]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by GreyFlcn http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/ Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:12:56 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/1 So I've been hearing

So I've been hearing that a cap-and-trade program is perhaps the better "either-or" approach if we had to pick one, compared to a carbon tax.

Mainly because it implements much better on a global scale.

Also because it allows you to control the carbon emissions directly, rather than controlling the price and assuming what the carbon emissions will be.

And also, frankly it leaves the money out of the hands of politicians which would just squander it away.

]]> So I've been hearing

So I've been hearing that a cap-and-trade program is perhaps the better "either-or" approach if we had to pick one, compared to a carbon tax.

Mainly because it implements much better on a global scale.

Also because it allows you to control the carbon emissions directly, rather than controlling the price and assuming what the carbon emissions will be.

And also, frankly it leaves the money out of the hands of politicians which would just squander it away.

]]> Comment #2 by solveclimate http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/ Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:31:27 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/2 ICAP

Back in July 2006, then-UK-PM Tony Blair traveled to California, and there inked an agreement with Schwarzenegger to cooperate on global warming. It was a telling moment that saw the signing of an agreement between the head of a national government and the head of a US state government. "California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," the governor said at the time. ICAP looks like another step.

It is also another indication of the leadership role the US states have been playing on climate action. See "The Good News from the States" at http://solveclimate.com/resource/good-news-states
 

david sassoon


]]> ICAP

Back in July 2006, then-UK-PM Tony Blair traveled to California, and there inked an agreement with Schwarzenegger to cooperate on global warming. It was a telling moment that saw the signing of an agreement between the head of a national government and the head of a US state government. "California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," the governor said at the time. ICAP looks like another step.

It is also another indication of the leadership role the US states have been playing on climate action. See "The Good News from the States" at http://solveclimate.com/resource/good-news-states
 

david sassoon


]]> Comment #3 by fissionchips http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/ Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:56:59 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-international-carbon-action-partnership/3 Advantages of Cap and Trade

GreyFlcn, there are a couple other reasons why a cap and trade system has gained favour internationally. For one, it promotes sustainable development through the trading of emissions permits between countries. A carbon tax would accomplish the same by having developed countries fund projects in developing countries, but it would be less feasible from a political standpoint.

Similar thinking applies within countries. The cap and trade system allows for a balance between government supervision and economic efficiency. Governments will have a big role to play at first to reduce the shock of carbon pricing. As the system matures and people adjust, it's possible to shift the job of allocating permits from governments to markets so that the overall cost of mitigation is reduced.

My site "From Kyoto to Bali: A new framework for the climate" features talks by climate policy experts that cover all of these issues.

]]> Advantages of Cap and Trade

GreyFlcn, there are a couple other reasons why a cap and trade system has gained favour internationally. For one, it promotes sustainable development through the trading of emissions permits between countries. A carbon tax would accomplish the same by having developed countries fund projects in developing countries, but it would be less feasible from a political standpoint.

Similar thinking applies within countries. The cap and trade system allows for a balance between government supervision and economic efficiency. Governments will have a big role to play at first to reduce the shock of carbon pricing. As the system matures and people adjust, it's possible to shift the job of allocating permits from governments to markets so that the overall cost of mitigation is reduced.

My site "From Kyoto to Bali: A new framework for the climate" features talks by climate policy experts that cover all of these issues.

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