Hacker News Reader

Comment by bergen | Hacker News Reader

A tax on CO2 producers that is redistributed as basic income, helping the smallest guy the most, would be a gradual force to shift to cleaner energy, since the seismic shift that is required cleary is not favored by anyone.

View on HN

Since the people who decide this got into their positions with support from the only group who would lose from this in the short term, we can be sure that it'll never happen.

Any tax in America would be completely pointless if there's nothing that limits, China, and India, as the world's largest polluters. Anything the West does is just a drop in the bucket, unless those two countries follow.

It's a very large drop.

33% of global carbon emissions are from the west 18% from the united states A significant share of chinese emmissions is driven by western consumerism as well and could be reduced.

Even a 10% reduction of the overall share driven purely by the west would amount to a lot more than a drop. Even more if coupled with a proper incentive system for other countries to follow

"completely pointless"?

Exactly. People forget that all the environmental damage coming from China and other sweatshop countries, comes from manufacturing stuff on the cheap to feed western consumerism, and those corners cut to achieve such low prices are not just on labor but also on lack of environmental protection.

There's a reason semiconductors are no longer manufactured in 'Silicon Valley' who's soil is still full of forever chemicals, but mostly all moved to Asia where there's a lot less concern for the local environment as long as billions are flowing in the country.

https://theconversation.com/how-silicon-valley-industry-poll...

You missed the part about a tax in America. Just because America does something doesn't mean the rest of the world is going to follow. Introducing a tax on carbon emissions will only harm America, while other parts of the world continue to pollute. It's still results in no benefit. And that's very naïve to think that it's western consumerism, when there's plenty of consumerism in Asia and Europe. This American centric focus is so very naïve.

Europe is part of "western"

US is a much worse polluter than India. All of us have to get our shit together before waiting for others.

That "Klimageld" is actually planned in Germany by the current Government. It should already have been implemented but different forms of inability to implement have it delayed by a lot.

This will never happen, because it could help too many of those who need it the most.

While I approve of UBI and environmental protection, I don't think it's going to help either cause to mix them together like that.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com