The continent of Europe has had de jure carbon taxes such as UK's 'climate change levy' since 2001 plus massive de facto CO2 taxes via cap and trade for years, and its CO2 has gone up. The US has no CO2 tax but its CO2 has gone down. 'Nature Climate Change' apparently isn't interested in scientific evidence.
6/18/12, "Welcome to Fantasy Island!" Roger Pielke Jr.
"I have in the past given the title of "Fantasy Island" to the UK for pursuing an impossible approach to carbon dioxide emissions reductions. Over the next week a much bigger island will take that title (yes, yes, it is a continent, but this is a fantasy!). On July 1, Australia's carbon tax comes into effect, which has already prompted a new round of cheering and critiquing.
Representative of the cheering, Nature Climate Change has just published an essay that celebrates the tax as a model for other countries, without noting that it has been used intentionally as a political wedge issue making it deeply unpopular, and more importantly, that it will do almost nothing to help Australia to meet its short-term emissions reductions targets. This sort of willful blindness is endemic in climate policy discussions among those calling for action. Perhaps the thinking is that maybe if we pretend, then the fantasy will become real.
To understand why Australia's approach to emissions reductions will not just fail, but perhaps even mask BAU as progress, one simply need do a bit of math. Have a look at this analysis (here in PDF) of the targets and timetables of Australia's proposed short-term emissions reductions targets."...
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(The author of the Nature Climate Change piece is Frank Jotzo. "Frank Jotzo is director of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia. He advised the Garnaut Climate Change Review and provided advice on policy formulation.")
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4/21/12, "Why Emissions Are Declining in the U.S. But Not in Europe," by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus
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"In Europe, they note, emissions are not falling."...
5/6/12, "US Leads EU in CO2 Reductions," Walter Russell Mead, American Interest
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""We do worry a lot that there is not much coordination between those working on the taxation, the regulation and the pricing of carbon," said IETA's Derwent."...
5/30/11, "Exclusive: EU energy plan threatens carbon billions," Reuters, Pete Harrison
"The Europe Union's carbon market could be flooded with excess pollution permits over the next decade, cutting prices in half and depriving governments of billions in budgeted revenues, EU sources say.
"There's a real concern of negative impacts on prices if the issue is not properly addressed," one EU source said on condition of anonymity. "Some of the studies imply that carbon prices will collapse."
It is not clear, however, whether European governments will support measures that would erode carbon prices, which would put a severe dent in budgeted government revenues in 2013-2020.
It would also undermine investment in green technology, a key economic driver in countries such as Germany and Denmark."...
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"The UK Climate Change Levy is a tax on business use of energy which commenced on 1st April 2001. It is a levy on the use of energy in the whole of the non-domestic sector in industry, commerce, agriculture and the public sector. This means that every industry within the UK now has the additional cost of the levy on their energy bills."
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11/23/11, "Europe's $287 billion carbon 'waste': UBS report," The Australian, by Sid Maher
"SWISS banking giant UBS says the European Union's emissions trading scheme has cost the continent's consumers $287 billion for "almost zero impact" on cutting carbon emissions."...
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