The Carbon Dialogues
Rick Hyndman, "The Cost of Carbon: Get used to uncertainty, and allow government, not traders, to set the price of carbon." Alternatives, 35:1 (2008)
Michael R. King, “No Carbon Copy: While Canada and the US dithered, the European Union built a carbon-emissions trading mechanism,” Alternatives, 34:6 (2008)
Lawson Hunter, “Tax Shifting: Even corporate executives are geared up for a green levy,” Alternatives, 34:1 (2008)
Jack Mintz and Mark Jaccard, Point - CounterPoint column, “The Carbon Tax Tango,” Alternatives, 32:3 (2006)
As Rick Hyndman in "The Cost of Carbon" suggests, understanding the various dimensions and options of the carbon pricing debate is an important step in finding an effective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Join the discussion between readers, authors and our editors on the complex but urgent questions at the heart of our current climate crisis.
Your email will not be made public. Please provide a web link to your graphic and video response.
Nicola Ross - Editor
Posted:2009-02-18 08:15:11
"The question that I'd like to put to Rick Hyndman and others, is whether there is any likelihood that Canada will introduce a carbon tax? Given the European lead with a cap and trade system and the US leaning that way, what are the chances that Canada will go with a carbon tax?"
Posted:2009-02-18 08:15:11
"The question that I'd like to put to Rick Hyndman and others, is whether there is any likelihood that Canada will introduce a carbon tax? Given the European lead with a cap and trade system and the US leaning that way, what are the chances that Canada will go with a carbon tax?"
Rick Hyndman
Posted:2009-02-17 17:02:05
"GHG emission reduction policies are a complex topic. It is difficult to communicate in a brief way to an audience of people coming at it from different perspectives. There are some good points in the comments submitted. One misperception though is that those who point out that significant reductions in GHG emissions will not be easy or cheap are really saying don’t try. My point in referring to analysis done for governments that show a high price of carbon will be necessary to reach the government’s target of a 20% reduction from 2006 by 2020 is to argue that policy has to be designed to deal with that reality. Bill Henderson’s comment about failed policy seems to say that GHG emission pricing has been tried and failed. But in fact, carbon pricing has not been seriously tried in any comprehensive way. There are certainly some regulatory approaches that could contribute to reduced GHG emissions, and stepped up investment in new energy supply technology is critical, but there is a"
Posted:2009-02-17 17:02:05
"GHG emission reduction policies are a complex topic. It is difficult to communicate in a brief way to an audience of people coming at it from different perspectives. There are some good points in the comments submitted. One misperception though is that those who point out that significant reductions in GHG emissions will not be easy or cheap are really saying don’t try. My point in referring to analysis done for governments that show a high price of carbon will be necessary to reach the government’s target of a 20% reduction from 2006 by 2020 is to argue that policy has to be designed to deal with that reality. Bill Henderson’s comment about failed policy seems to say that GHG emission pricing has been tried and failed. But in fact, carbon pricing has not been seriously tried in any comprehensive way. There are certainly some regulatory approaches that could contribute to reduced GHG emissions, and stepped up investment in new energy supply technology is critical, but there is a"
Pierre-Olivier Pinea
Posted:2009-02-17 13:38:42
"Comments: Rick Hyndman's article is very good - except for one (minor) point. Canadian consumers are not on the demand side of carbon reduction (Figure 3), but on the supply side! For a low carbon cost, they would only be ready to «produce» a small amount of carbon reduction. The higher the cost of carbon, the more they'd be willing to change their behavior to less carbon intensive goods and services. Consumers do not «demand» emission reductions... (the environment does), but can provide emission reductions, up to different levels depending on the price of carbon."
Posted:2009-02-17 13:38:42
"Comments: Rick Hyndman's article is very good - except for one (minor) point. Canadian consumers are not on the demand side of carbon reduction (Figure 3), but on the supply side! For a low carbon cost, they would only be ready to «produce» a small amount of carbon reduction. The higher the cost of carbon, the more they'd be willing to change their behavior to less carbon intensive goods and services. Consumers do not «demand» emission reductions... (the environment does), but can provide emission reductions, up to different levels depending on the price of carbon."
John Scull
Posted:2009-02-01 17:54:53
"Great articles! Thanks for the clarity. In all the discussions I have seen about carbon taxes and cap and trade systems, the costs are all at the downstream end, being paid by consumers or emitters. Wouldn't it be easer and more efficient to apply the taxes or permits at the upstream end, at the well, mine, or port of entry of fossil fuels?"
Posted:2009-02-01 17:54:53
"Great articles! Thanks for the clarity. In all the discussions I have seen about carbon taxes and cap and trade systems, the costs are all at the downstream end, being paid by consumers or emitters. Wouldn't it be easer and more efficient to apply the taxes or permits at the upstream end, at the well, mine, or port of entry of fossil fuels?"
Bill Henderson
Posted:2009-01-25 16:05:30
" The four articles and dialogue continue to wrongfoot Alternative readers about the path to needed emission reductions. Examining differing ways of pricing carbon keeps us investigating ways of shoe horning climate change mitigation within continuing political and economic business as usual where even ineffectual mitigation is not possible. Two decades of failed mitigation, of failure of both carbon taxes and cap and trade, and the arguments of those who would urge us to at least examine other mitigation paths, plus the well understood example of failure of economic instrument dominated fisheries and forestry management in Canada, should have us looking at alternative paths but instead we are continuing to waste precious time. Consider this other way of approaching mitigation: How will the world share the carbon budget, which we all know is very limited by now...if the emissions are more than the geophysical limits, then the world has to reduce its needs to adjust to what the wo"
Posted:2009-01-25 16:05:30
" The four articles and dialogue continue to wrongfoot Alternative readers about the path to needed emission reductions. Examining differing ways of pricing carbon keeps us investigating ways of shoe horning climate change mitigation within continuing political and economic business as usual where even ineffectual mitigation is not possible. Two decades of failed mitigation, of failure of both carbon taxes and cap and trade, and the arguments of those who would urge us to at least examine other mitigation paths, plus the well understood example of failure of economic instrument dominated fisheries and forestry management in Canada, should have us looking at alternative paths but instead we are continuing to waste precious time. Consider this other way of approaching mitigation: How will the world share the carbon budget, which we all know is very limited by now...if the emissions are more than the geophysical limits, then the world has to reduce its needs to adjust to what the wo"
Dorene Rew
Posted:2009-01-09 16:33:01
"I was horribly upset that Alternatives would (a) print anything by Big Oil and (b) print such a pile of oil patch double speak on the subject of how much getting rid of the carbon already spewed into the atmosphere will cost. 'Cost' is not really a factor when you consider the alternative of not having a habitable Earth, is it? Indeed a lot of things that were predicted to cost the 'Earth,' when actually implemented, did not cost nearly as much as industry predicted and in some cases industry actually made money fixing the problem. What this whole issue needs is political will and policies that make polluting and destroying the planet so expensive that humans will use their brains and ingenuity to find truly clean solutions to replace the "business as usual" path Big Oil and Big Business are so determined to cling to. Unfortunately, humans - or at least our political leaders and their industrial supporters seem determined to repeat all the errors made by past 'civilizat"
Posted:2009-01-09 16:33:01
"I was horribly upset that Alternatives would (a) print anything by Big Oil and (b) print such a pile of oil patch double speak on the subject of how much getting rid of the carbon already spewed into the atmosphere will cost. 'Cost' is not really a factor when you consider the alternative of not having a habitable Earth, is it? Indeed a lot of things that were predicted to cost the 'Earth,' when actually implemented, did not cost nearly as much as industry predicted and in some cases industry actually made money fixing the problem. What this whole issue needs is political will and policies that make polluting and destroying the planet so expensive that humans will use their brains and ingenuity to find truly clean solutions to replace the "business as usual" path Big Oil and Big Business are so determined to cling to. Unfortunately, humans - or at least our political leaders and their industrial supporters seem determined to repeat all the errors made by past 'civilizat"
Nicola Ross
Posted:2009-01-08 15:49:06
"Alternatives has published a number of articles about climate change, carbon taxes and emissions trading. We hope to encourage discussion on the topic in our new forum -- The Carbon Dialogues. We encourage you to give us your thoughts and ideas on how Canada should get a handle on its greenhouse gas emissions. We invite you to add your comments. Nicola Ross, Executive Editor, Alternatives Journal"
Posted:2009-01-08 15:49:06
"Alternatives has published a number of articles about climate change, carbon taxes and emissions trading. We hope to encourage discussion on the topic in our new forum -- The Carbon Dialogues. We encourage you to give us your thoughts and ideas on how Canada should get a handle on its greenhouse gas emissions. We invite you to add your comments. Nicola Ross, Executive Editor, Alternatives Journal"