An Earthling's Guide to Taxing Carbon
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human activities have brought our planet to the brink
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a climate crisis today I'm gonna talk about the way we can fix it
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global warming is undeniable the beginning of this century has seen 14
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the 15 hottest years ever recorded climate change is already affected us
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all
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the brace yourself a recent report by the pentagon
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highlighted the risks to national and global security
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climate change will exacerbate deprivation
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conflict and war communities everywhere are
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reeling from record-breaking cost coping with extreme weather
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yet more and more carbon dioxide the mean climate altering greenhouse gas is
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accumulating in the atmosphere
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the world's top climate science panel has been telling us for years
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the global emissions must be cut by at least eighty percent in just a few
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decades
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the USA is the largest per capita emitter by far
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and that doesn't even include emissions from manufacturing our consumer goods
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abroad
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so we've gotta cut further and faster but how can we possibly make the cuts
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that scientists say are necessary
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the carbon tax raises the cost to burn fossil fuels and make carbon dioxide
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index every action that reduces fossil fuel use
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last costly by comparison billions have daily decisions will be influenced
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long-term investments to no other policy
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can match a carbon tax is reach or its simplicity
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the tax is levied wherever fossil fuels are extracted or imported
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just a few thousand points in the US the taxes paid to the carbon content of fuel
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costs are passed down supply chain to be sent the market allows
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later we'll discuss how consumers can get money back
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a carbon tax can help us make real progress toward averting climate
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catastrophe
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one carbon tax bill would cut US carbon emissions by around forty percent
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in just 15 years
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putting us well on the way to 80 percent by 2050
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the stock should start small to households and businesses adapt
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and ramp up steadily and predictably call
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oil and gas will be replaced by efficiency and clean renewable energy
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it can be implemented quickly replicated globally
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driving down global emissions non
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the alternative policy approaches are simple effective
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were transparent for example cleantech subsidies have their place
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but they cost money in tax dollars and guess who they benefit the most
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the ritz since they use the most energy
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class lowering the price all good technology's
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isn't nearly as effective as raising the price the bad
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ending harmful fossil fuel subsidies can also help
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but not enough a carbon tax can accomplish far more
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in the US giveaways to fossil fuel companies
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are dwarfed by the Environmental casa burning carbon
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efficiency standards have been tremendously productive
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today's appliances are two or three times as efficient as forty years ago
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yeah because they don't addressed consumption
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we end up with fuel-efficient SUV's and energy-efficient mansions
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running in place isn't good enough you may have heard about the EPA's clean
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power plan
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but don't get too excited it only applies to electricity
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its emission targets are meager and its bureaucratic
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and complicated the opposite have a carbon tax
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another widely discussed policy option is called cap-and-trade
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this are you exist in the European Union California
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and some northeastern states a cap on carbon pollution sounds good in theory
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you can have a cap without treating emission permits
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which means Wall Street insiders make money are complex markets
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insider trading and price volatility
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me the EU lost billions this way
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class there's no one-size-fits-all cap
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we can to ask poorer countries to cut emissions as much as americans
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whereas a carbon price can translate from one country to another
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can we design a carbon tax to benefit poorer and middle-income Americans
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and not increase the size of government conservatives might buy in
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yes there are two approaches one approach
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is tax shifting where revenue from the carbon tax is used to reduce
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existing payroll income a corporate taxes
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al gore's bad tax what we burn
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not return the other approaches to divide the revenue pie
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into millions equal slices with every household getting an identical peace
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dividend since the wealthy use more energy
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the tactic is income progressive either these approaches would keep the tax fair
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and effective
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of course any attempt to stop global warming must include China
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which recently passed the US as the largest over limiter
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greenhouse gases for years the government to the US and China
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used each others in action to justify their home
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but finally that changed in 2014
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the next step is for both countries to start taxing carbon
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even if the US goes first our carbon tax won't push manufacturing jobs
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offshore trade agreements allow the US to tax the carbon content
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imports from China just like other countries can tax the carbon content
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our exports some countries have begun taxing carbon emissions
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Canada's third largest province began phasing in a carbon tax
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in 2000 be British Columbia's carbon tax is popular
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and effective Sweden has been taxing some carbon emissions since the early
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90's
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hours has much and the rest in Europe in the US
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public opinion is swinging to favor action on climate and polls are starting
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to show support for taxing carbon
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on both sides of the political divide so long as it's done fairly and without
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making government bigger
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yet climate denial is in congress stand in the way
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low oil prices could open the door to a carbon tax
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congress could enact a tax on petroleum products with the proceeds refunded to
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household
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this could help keep gas guzzlers on hold and establish the president
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taxing and dividend in carbon emissions conclusion
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a carbon tax can work there's broad support for action
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urgent need and the benefits extend even be on protecting future generations from
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climate change
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join the growing movement for US carbon tax
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sign up for the carbon tax enters email list at WWW dot carbon tax .org
The TRUTH will set you FREE.
