Grist | Topics | 144 Results

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Headline	Author	Published	Section
You get the tax code you pay for Two-thirds of corporations operating in the U.S. pay no income tax	David Roberts	13 Aug 2008	Gristmill
Here's a little something to keep in mind the next time corporations profess horror at the very idea of a carbon tax: Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress. The study by the Government Accountability Office, expected to be released Tuesday, said about 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period. Collectively, the com ...
Topics: carbon tax, politics, taxes (all these topics)

WCI's new proposal What the Western Climate Initiative does right -- and what it could do better	Eric de Place	24 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Draft is here [PDF]. Just the major points. First off, the proposal is basically pretty good. We should keep in mind that what WCI is doing represents a big -- gigantic -- step in the right direction for the climate. So I'll raise a glass to everyone who's worked so hard on the WCI proposal so far. But there's room for improvement. Below, I highlight the core areas of the proposal. These are bedrock issues that make me concerned.Transportation is in. Sort of. It ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, state politics (all these topics)

Target practice On the art of setting (and hitting) emission targets	Ken Johnson	24 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Gore's call for 100 percent renewable electricity generation within 10 years may seem, at first blush, to be so far out in left field as to lack any seriousness -- but it has some commonality with established regulatory policy. For example, California's global warming law (AB 32) is rooted in Governor Schwarzenegger's Executive Order S-03-05, issued on June 1, 2005, ordering that 'the following greenhouse gas emission reduction targets are hereby established for Californ ...
Topics: Al Gore, California, carbon tax, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

What's Newsom? Grist talks to San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom about greening the city	Kate Sheppard	20 Jul 2008	Gristmill
San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom stopped by Netroots Nation on Sunday to introduce Van Jones, and he also talked to the crowd about some of the green accomplishments his city has been able to make so far. Newsom has proposed the toughest building standards in the country, and in November 2008 he was planning to submit a carbon tax to voters for their approval (he's now pushed that back to 2009). In March he signed into law a requirement that the city's taxi fleet ...
Topics: carbon tax, climate, climate change mitigation, politics, San Francisco, video (all these topics)

Gore's speech Gore calls for carbon tax, 100 percent renewable electricity by 2018	Joseph Romm	17 Jul 2008	Gristmill
[Editor's note: The headline was mistakenly published to read 'energy' in place of 'electricity.' The fault lies with the Grist editorial staff instead of with Joseph Romm. Our apologies to Joe.] July 17, 2008 A Generational Challenge to Repower America (as prepared) D.A.R. Constitution Hall Washington, D.C. Ladies and gentlemen: There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challeng ...
Topics: Al Gore, carbon tax, climate, energy (all these topics)

Driver down How to reduce California auto emissions faster than Pavley	Ken Johnson	03 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Last update: 7/22/2008 In my last post I touted the benefits of a fully refunded emissions tax. Let's take a look at how it could work in California. When it comes to a refunded tax, more money for industry doesn't mean less money for consumers. Case in point: Today's gasoline prices in California are averaging $4.58/gal, which equates1 to $536/MT-CO2e. That's how much California drivers are currently paying to emit CO2 -- and how much they could save from fue ...
Topics: California, carbon tax, cars, climate, fuel efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

'There is no box' Lester Brown unveils plan for 80 percent cuts by 2020	Jon Rynn	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute and author, most recently, of Plan B, Version 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, released a new study today called 'Time for Plan B: Cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2020.' I was invited to participate in a conference call in which Lester explained many of the highlights of the plan; I will do my best to share what he said (any mistakes are my own). First, it appears that the only comprehensive plan to ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, public transportation, renewable energy (all these topics)

Climate change ideas for On Day One Day five of the UN Dispatch-Grist collaboration	Ideas for On Day One	27 Jun 2008	Gristmill
The UN Dispatch - Grist collaboration concludes today with discussion of an idea submitted by On Day One user James Hansen -- yes that Dr. James Hansen! Tony Kreindler of the Environmental Defense Fund, Nigel Purvis, Kate Sheppard, Timothy B. Hurst, and David Roberts respond below the fold. Tony Kreindler, media director of the National Climate Campaign at the Environmental Defense Fund As usual, great issues raised ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, climate, climate change mitigation, climate science, James Hansen, video (all these topics)

We must tax carbon Hansen's message to the planet	Charles Komanoff	25 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Maybe it was the thought of two decades of climate-crisis exhortation, little more heeded than words shouted at a hurricane. Photo: germuska via Flickr.Maybe it was the temporizing of the Democrats and the obstructionism of the GOP. Or it might have been the images of cities, houses and farmland of his native Iowa drowned by the latest '500-year' floods. Perhaps it was all three. Whatever the reasons, the climate crisis' Paul Revere turned it up ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, climate change impacts, climate science, James Hansen (all these topics)

No justice, no cap National environmental justice coalition blasts cap-and-trade, backs carbon tax	Charles Komanoff	16 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Condemning carbon trading as 'fraught with uncertainties, lack[ing] transparency and creat[ing] large opportunities for emitting facilities to engage in fraud,' a national coalition of environmental justice organizations has called for a federal carbon tax to address 'the most critical issue of our time' -- the climate crisis. Photo: Brooke Anderson. The June 2 statement from the Climate Justice Leadership Forum is the latest sign of mounting disaffe ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, fossil fuels, grassroots activism, politics (all these topics)

Who you callin' a carbon tax, buddy? The political chances of carbon taxes	Eric de Place	16 Jun 2008	Gristmill
There's an ecumenical rift in the carbon policy world. Some favor taxes, while others prefer cap-and-trade. I'm in the latter camp, though I'm sort of a carbon Unitarian: I like carbon taxes too. From a policy perspective, they fit together nicely. Among the reasons I'm on the c&t side is that taxes can be radioactive, at least in U.S. politics. Now, this isn't really a substantive objection to carbon taxes as a policy instrument, but the worry seems warrante ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, politics (all these topics)

Carbon pricing: Not Archimedes' lever Putting a price on carbon is only the first step in energy policy	David Roberts	10 Jun 2008	Gristmill
There's certainly a great deal of logic to what Ezra says here -- it would be nice if an upstream price on carbon would automatically rejigger the price of everything, right down to chips and candy bars. What could be a more gratifying solution than moving the behavior of every single consumer in a rational direction by applying pressure to a single policy lever? I hope it's that easy. I suspect carbon prices will not be like dye in water, diffusing equally everywher ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, energy (all these topics)

Conservatives and climate change, continued A carbon policy is likely to be less devastating than nature, or oil markets	Ryan Avent	08 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Reihan responds. Let me just say a few more things. First, I described his characterization of carbon pricing as 'insane' based on this: What we need is a $100 billion prize or set of prizes to the person or firm or non-profit entity that can devise a cost-effective means of scrubbing the atmosphere of carbon emissions. This sounds insane, I realize. It is less insane than the far costlier, far less egalitarian regulatory alternative. Just to clarify. Next, Reiha ...
Topics: carbon tax, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, gas prices, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

The conservative climate change problem An acknowledge-and-do-nothing strategy is little better than denialism	Ryan Avent	08 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Reihan Salam writes an incredibly disappointing, and boggling, blog post here, on his preferred strategies for dealing with climate change. Disappointing, because if Reihan, one of the best conservative writers out there, doesn't get the logic of carbon pricing, then there's little hope for some sort of conservative renaissance on climate change policy. Boggling, because Reihan is too smart a guy to get so many things wrong in such a short amount of time.Let me sta ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, climate change skepticism (all these topics)

Revkin: Can tax-and-dividend break the political deadlock? Now that L-W is dead, Barnes' sky trust is looking good	Gar Lipow	07 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Revkin speculates that Barnes' proposal is a way to break the deadlock stopping climate change legislation. I think he may be right. Tax emissions. (Or cap them and auction permits.) Refund the revenue to everybody. It has the following political advantages: It is simple and easy to understand. It puts a price on emissions without really penalizing anybody. It is a no-hair-shirt solution. This last point is worth emphasizing. It does not punish consumers, be ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

C.A.R.E. (Cap & Auction, Refund Everything) Peter Barnes on cap-and-dividend in U.S. News & World Report	Gar Lipow	06 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Peter Barnes' proposal is popping up everywhere these days, most recently in U.S. News and World Report. The idea is simple: Put a cap on emissions, and divide that cap into permits. Sell those permits upstream -- mostly to just a few hundred fossil fuel producers and importers. They in turn will pass the cost of those permits on to consumers. Divide the revenue from the auctions among consumers, which makes up for the higher prices. Read the article for details. Upd ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, fossil fuels (all these topics)

A final entry on the cap-and-trade debate	Ryan Avent	05 Jun 2008	Gristmill
The ongoing economic discussion concerning the differences between cap-and-trade and carbon taxes has attracted a number of eminent participants. Not only Mark Thoma, but Brad DeLong now (with an assist from Megan McArdle), offers some excellent commentary on the issues involved.
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate (all these topics)

Ah, the 'Can't do' spirit Standing up to Samuelson	Joseph Romm	04 Jun 2008	Gristmill
This post is by Bracken Hendricks, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. ----- In Monday's Washington Post, and a parallel piece in Newsweek, Robert Samuelson gets it wildly wrong on cap-and-trade, parroting a litany of falsehoods and misrepresentations concerning the most probable federal policy for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Like most detractors of action on global warming, Samuelson continues to push the unsubstantiated notion that reducing emi ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Best foot forward Climate bills will only get better from here	Ryan Avent	04 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Mark Thoma, whose Economist's View is an excellent resource for all things economic, posts a roundup of writing on cap-and-trade versus a carbon tax, including a good primer on how the economics work and why the two plans are so similar. He also excerpts a rather cynical take by Pete Davis on the political reasons that cap-and-trade is preferred by politicians. Some of the political calculations he cites are no doubt on point, but I disagree with much of the piece. Like t ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, legislation, politics (all these topics)

Tuesday link dump A little bit of this, a smidge of that	David Roberts	03 Jun 2008	Gristmill
The ol' browser's getting a little clogged up. Time to stop thinkin' and start linkin'! Yee-haw. ----- Eco-friendly bombs! A couple of crack economists at Environmental Defense Fund synthesized the results of several different economic models projecting the impact of cap-and-trade legislation. Their conclusion? A business-as-usual approach, continuing with today's policies, puts the U.S. economy on a path to reach $26 trillion in January 2030. With a cap on the ...
Topics: carbon tax, climate, economy, energy, public transportation, websites (all these topics)

The price isn't quite right yet Carbon pricing is about tweaking the little, everyday decisions we make	Ryan Avent	03 Jun 2008	Gristmill
I'd like to add one quick addendum to my previous post on cap-and-trade. When we consider the extent to which we need to reduce our emissions in the abstract, it can appear quite daunting. This is especially the case when we look at the needed reductions and then focus on how big a role coal and petroleum currently play in energy generation and transportation. And it is absolutely true that getting coal and oil out of the economy will be a challenge, and will be a proud ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, shopping (all these topics)

Fear of the day	David Roberts	03 Jun 2008	Gristmill
What if the anticipation of carbon legislation has driven more investment away from coal than actual carbon legislation will?
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, coal, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation (all these topics)

Post hack How not to inform readers about cap-and-trade	Ryan Avent	02 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson has long impressed me as one of the most hackish economic columnists not associated with the Wall Street Journal and not named Ben Stein, but today's piece on cap-and-trade is dismally, embarrassingly stupid. Its essential premise is that consumers and producers of energy don't respond to price signals, something so incredibly, obviously wrong that even the dolt editors of the Post opinion section should have wondered what was u ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate (all these topics)

4.4 Cents and Sensibility Bay Area initiates first-of-its-kind fee on biz greenhouse-gas emissions		22 May 2008	News
Posted at 8:18 AM on 22 May 2008 Businesses in nine San Francisco Bay Area counties will pay 4.4 cents for every ton of greenhouse gases they spew, after the district air-quality board voted 15-1 Wednesday to approve the fee. Set to take effect July 1, the fee will affect more than 2,500 businesses; the district estimates that perhaps seven power plants and oil refineries will have to pay more tha ...
Topics: business, California, carbon tax, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, regulation, San Francisco (all these topics)

Safety pin Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing to stoke fear about the costs of climate legislation	Kate Sheppard	19 May 2008	Gristmill
Speaking of cost-containment and the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing tomorrow on 'recent reports analyzing the energy and economic impacts of climate change legislation.' Many political observers see this as a move intended to scare up concern among Senate Democrats that meaningful action on global warming is just too dang expensive. Why interpret it that way? Because the committee is chai ...
Topics: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US Senate (all these topics)

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