Re:I liked the idea of carbon offsets until I tried to expla...
by NumberWangMan on Monday April 11, 2022 @08:29PM
(#30997067)
So the implementation I like (https://energyinnovationact.org/) would tax the production, but companies could get a tax rebate for non-fuel consumption, such as manufacturing plastics. That puts the onus on companies to get their rebate and is a lot easier to enforce, but is pretty fair -- plastics don't cause emissions aside from the energy used in their production (which would already be taxed if it comes from fossil fuels). I guess one issue would be if you're burning a lot of plastic garbage, like I've heard is common in Japan, though I don't know if that's a big contributor to emissions.
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Re:I liked the idea of carbon offsets until I tried to expla...
by dTal on Tuesday April 12, 2022 @11:39AM
(#31004139)
I think it's fair to say it would become common, if you imposed punitive taxes on everything except plastic.
Once it's out of the ground, it's a matter of time before it ends up in the atmosphere, unless unusually careful sequestration measures are taken. Better to subsidize those, and tax generation, rather than try to micromanage the bit in between.