British Columbia recently became the first government in North America to implement a consumer-based carbon tax. The tax, which will take effect on July 1, 2008, will apply to gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, coal, and home heating fuel. As a result, consumers will pay a little more per gallon for gasoline, with the tax increasing every year until 2012.
Carbon taxes have been in place in Europe for over a decade, with Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and Norway implementing them in the 1990s. The United Kingdom implemented an incrementally increasing carbon tax in 1993, but the increases were stopped after protests in 1999 because the taxes had risen to represent nearly 3/4 of the cost of fuel; now approximately 2/3 of the per-gallon price of fuel is carbon tax. Many municipalities in the United States, including San Francisco and Portland, are looking into establishing carbon taxes.
The purpose of a carbon tax is to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and thereby slow global warming. The idea behind the tax is that increased costs for fuel will discourage consumers from excessive burning of fossil fuels—such as gasoline. But the general public may not be able to see past the higher pump prices to actually realize just the impact gasoline use is having on the environment.
To drive home the point of how the burning of fossil fuels can damage the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created a new Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator that lets you convert gallons of gasoline consumed to metric tons of CO2. Then you can convert metric tons of CO2 to barrels of oil consumed, annual greenhouse gas emissions, and a dozen other calculations.
The EPA has developed numerous Clean Energy Programs to help state policy makers and energy customers identify and implement clean energy solutions. The Greenhouse Equivalencies Calculator is a way to help average consumers understand why a carbon tax is a good idea. Although the tax may seem to be just another frustrating increase in the cost of living, the revenue generated from it will help to implement solutions that will secure the future of living in a clean environment.
Use the Greenhouse Equivalencies Calculator
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[…] The Armand Rousso Green Business Blog has an article on British Columbia’s consumer based carbon tax, which will start in July. There are a lots of reasons for implementing a carbon tax, but the main thing that comes out of such a tax in the eyes of the tax payer is increased fuel costs. […]
Shame there isn’t a way to save the planet without the poorer people suffering more.