I love when hardcore Progressives start yammering about market economics, because it’s easy to see that they often do not understand free markets, and are interested in free markets. Here’s Kyle E. Thomas at Syracuse.com, who is the group leader for the Syracuse chapter of the (astroturfed) Citizens’ Climate Lobby
This Earth Day, let’s take on climate change, and improve our economy (Commentary)
Since its beginning in 1970, Earth Day has become an internationally celebrated, yearly recognition of the Earth and the need for protection of our environment. In the intervening decades, however, despite our good intentions and individual actions, our environment has continued to suffer degradation, with climate change representing the most intractable and overarching of our challenges. And as evidenced by Secretary Paulson’s “Risky Business Project” report, the business community is beginning to quantify the possible financial risks associated with climate change, and they are enormous.
In reality, our environment is doing much, much better. The air is much cleaner, as is the land and waters.
The good news is that a solution exists that corrects the market failure that climate change represents, by being firmly grounded in the principles of market economics. That solution is a revenue-neutral carbon tax, endorsed by such prominent conservatives as former Secretary of State George Schultz, former U.S. Representative Bob Englis, and President George W. Bush’s former economic adviser Greg Mankiw as well as very recently by the Niskanen Center a Libertarian think tank.
What are those “market economics”?
“Carbon Fee and Dividend” is such a revenue-neutral proposal advocated by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, an international volunteer-based organization. The proposal consists of a gradually rising fee beginning at $15 per ton fee on CO2 equivalent fuel sources, and increasing by $10 per ton annually until specific, identified emissions goals are achieved. As a frame of reference, $15 per ton CO2 equivalents translates roughly to an increase of 15 cents per gallon of gasoline, a variability we often see monthly at the filling station. Border adjustment tariffs are placed on imports from nations that do not have an equivalent measure in place to provide a level playing field for American businesses.
In an actual free market, the price of carbon offsets and such have collapsed in virtually every case, achieving junk bond status. What Warmists are pushing in no way resembles free market principles. Instead, this would be government setting the price and continuously raising the cost. Which would, of course, artificially raise the cost of virtually everything, meaning citizens would pay more thanks to Warmists, who refuse to currently practice what they preach.
Expressed numerically and assuming implementation beginning in 2015, REMI forecasts that by 2024 U.S. GDP will increase $840 billion over the baseline and $150 billion regionally. Jobs are projected to increase over the same period by approximately 2 million for the U.S. and by 250,000 for the Mid-Atlantic region.
In the real world, these jobs have been stagnant, despite dumping tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars, into “climate change” initiatives, including “green energy”. Seemingly, most of the jobs are simply about spreading awareness and raising money for “environmental” groups, which accomplish little. It’s been shown time and time again, with real world data, that for every 1 “green” job created, at least 2 jobs are lost.
This is just more proof that Warmists, part of the overall Progressive movement, want Government control of economies.
