Friday, April 17, 2009

BC’s choice - carbon tax or cap-and-trade

For the upcoming BC election (May 12th), a major campaign issue seems to be "which do you prefer, carbon tax or cap-and trade?" Gordon Campbell’s (idiot) Liberals are defending their unpopular carbon tax against the (idiot) NDP who prefer cap-and-trade.

Lorrie Goldstein hits the nail on the head beginning with this thought:
To paraphrase Kate McMillan at smalldeadanimals.com ... you're supposed to pray for an asteroid, not pick a favourite.
Lorrie goes on to explain how both amount to more or less the same thing and, worse, they’ve been tried and failed:

Norway has had a carbon tax since 1991, which Statistics Norway concluded in 2002 had only a very minor impact on emissions. ... Statistics Norway researchers concluded "extensive tax exemptions" was a major reason for the "relatively small effect" of carbon taxes on emissions.

... Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme -- saw emissions rise in its first three years of operation, until they dropped last year not because of cap-and-trade, but due to the global recession.

... In Europe's cap-and-trade markets, governments gave industries free credits to emit carbon dioxide totalling more than their existing emissions. ... This led to skyrocketing energy prices (emitters passed along the costs of the credits to consumers as if they had paid for them) and increasing emissions...

... Despite what politicians claim, neither carbon taxes nor cap-and-trade will lead to more "green" jobs. ...Spain ...has been touted as a model for the world by Barack Obama. Problem is, Spain lost at least 2.2 jobs in other sectors of the economy for every "green" job government spending created and only one in 10 of those jobs is permanent.

This according to a recent study by economics professor Gabriel Calzada Alvarez and three colleagues at Madrid's Juan Carlos University. ... The estimated cost to taxpayers for every "green" job created was 571,138 euros or over $900,000 Canadian.

Thank you, Lorrie! Now, if only we could get the word out to everyone in BC. Unless the major parties get real and stop offering up their "carbon" bullcrap, you’re right - "Better pray for that asteroid".
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    Lorrie goes on to explain how both amount to more or less the same thing and, worse.

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    The estimated cost to taxpayers for every "green" job created was 571,138 euros or over $900,000 Canadian.

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