Thought Piece

The Abject Failure of Emissions Trade and Carbon Taxation

Both, a carbon tax and cap and trade, have yet to provide a single good example of working. In fact, the EU ETS has been an abject failure since its inception in 1997 and its implementation in 2009.

Also, CA’s trading scheme is just another hidden tax that gets rolled into CA’s general revenues or state subsidies; and, RGGI has just increased the cost of electricity without providing any real market signals and less competitive than other regions of the U.S.

As for a carbon tax, there are so many questions:

1. Who is the controlling political body?
2. Who writes the rules?
3. Who determines the price point?
4. What qualifies for the tax?
5. Where is the mechanism for scientifically measuring and verifying emissions?
6. Who collects the money?
7. Where does the money go after it is collected?

Then, there is the political science in the noisy world of over 200 nations without a legitimate ruling body and the corruption of the United Nations and totalitarian rulers.

Finally, the actual implementation of technology of all things energy and its integration into the global environment. Neither, a carbon tax or cap and trade “scheme” have the slightest chance of working at this time in human history.