Obama and his global warming carbon cap
October 13th, 2007
Politics, climate change, global warming
Democratic Presidential aspirant Barrack Obama has briefly outlined his global warming plan on his website here. It is carbon cap based, and makes a distinction between “short” and “long” cycle carbon sources. This is disappointing but not, unfortunately, surprising.
Once carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, there is no distinction as to its source. The increasing levels of carbon dioxide means just that; more is being put into the atmosphere than the carbon cycle is able to remove over the same time interval. Carbon caps, whether on “long” cycle versus “short” cycle carbon – or some other plan – is nothing more than a tax on energy. It will not provide a “solution” to global warming or provide a means to mitigate its effects. In fact, reducing the supply of energy while simultaneous taxing the economy would only further limit – and make more costly – steps that will be needed to address the social and political consequences of climate change whether carbon induced or not.
For example the continually growing metropolitan area of Atlanta Georgia is under a severe drought condition - along with the entire Southeast. We can conveniently point to climate change (legitimately) and anthropogenic global warming (not so legitimately?) as the cause, although extended droughts in various regions historically is not unheard of; the dust bowl conditions of the early 1930’s for one small example. Addressing greenhouse gas emissions with carbon caps is unlikely to change the short term – or longer term – effects of climate change to ward off the possible dire effects. If weather patterns do not provide an input of water into the region within the next year – how will this be handled? Use Homeland Security or FEMA tactics that were used with Hurricane Katrina?
What should carbon caps mean for Vermonters if they are serious? And how far can we take carbon caps? Before bashing the auto makers, let’s impose a premium on ALL recreational - non-essential - use of fossil fuels. That means snowmobiles, ATVs, power boats, and motorcycles. Then let’s not stop there. Flat landers love to ski on our Green Mountains – discourage the marginal utility of the fuels used to transport skiers from Boston and New York (Easy to do – just tax the price of a lift ticket, OR cap the number of the lift tickets that can be sold.) Getting the picture?
If Vermont wants to set an example for the rest of the nation … step up to the plate.
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