- A rise of 7 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 4 degrees Celsius, compared with preindustrial levels would be catastrophic, according to scientists. Many coral reefs would dissolve in increasingly acidic oceans. Parts of Manhattan and Miami would be underwater without costly coastal defenses. Extreme heat waves would routinely smother large parts of the globe.
But the administration did not offer this dire forecast as part of an argument to combat climate change. Just the opposite: The analysis assumes the planet’s fate is already sealed.
Just. Tax. Carbon emissions. This will have the biggest impact toward solving this problem and industries will figure out the best way to reduce emissions all on their own. Have scientists come up with a dollar amount of damage a given volume of carbon emissions causes. This is the negative externality of those emissions. Then tax emissions at that rate. Problem (mostly) solved.
You don't even have to come up with a sciency number. Just decide that 1% of revenues go to pay the carbon taxes. (Or, pick a number....5%, 10%... 1/16 of salary costs. 2% tax on raw materials. Whatever.) When the company is incentivized to reduce that line item in their budget, they will find a way. When companies are incentivized to reduce costs, consultants and service provider opportunities open up. "We can cut your carbon taxes by 3/4ths. You pay us 1/4th, saving 50% on your carbon taxes." Business is REALLY good at finding a way to cut costs. Just let them do it. But DO NOT allow them to buy Carbon Credits. EVER. Carbon-based business SHOULD be costly to operate. That will result in market consolidation, which will increase the professionalism in their carbon reduction programs, which will reduce carbon emissions, or mitigate them in market-friendly ways. (See: Waste Management.)
At least they're not claiming it's a chinese hoax. What's frustrating about automobile standards is that they run more with fuel prices than anything else. Hybrids were bought in large numbers when gas was $4/gallon nationally, but now we're seeing 20MPG SUVs being purchased in droves. It really doesn't bode well for the future of the climate