Europe pushes plans to hike diesel, coal taxation

Emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption in the United States have fallen remarkably since 2008, with recent levels the lowest since 1995. Here I comment on some of the factors behind this.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vilified political opponents who support a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions. The oil sands industry, Canada’s fastest growing CO2 polluter, says he’s out of step. The contradiction of an industry seeking a new tax on itself has emerged in energy-rich Canada because producers are concerned the crude they process from tar-like sands will be barred from foreign markets for releasing more carbon in its production than competing fossil fuels. At least with a tax, you know what you’re getting

In a new working paper, David Austin argues that for a variety of reasons, private agents do not optimize with respect to energy efficiency measures. From Addressing Market Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Buildings: ...

Canada’s British Columbia’s environmentally friendly energy output is currently taxed at the same level as the fossil fuels they aim to replace. The province nevertheless is in the forefront of North American efforts to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, as British Columbia has instituted a carbon tax along with a ban on coal-fired electricity production and committed itself to join a regional greenhouse-gas reduction agreement in early 2012, the Vancouver Sun reported.

France will begin taxing carbon dioxide emissions by both households and companies starting next year in the hope that consumers and producers gradually shift to more environmentally-friendly goods.