News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Denmark to charge $100 per cow in first carbon tax on farming. Parent comment

Re:Denmark to charge $100 per cow in first carbon tax on far... by Dig1t on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @10:28AM (#40800525)
It's easy to throw around the word "externalities" and just ignore what it means to real people who have been farming their land for generations.

Everything has externalities, just being born and existing has negative externalities, why don't we just confine everyone to their apartment to limit their externalities? Why don't we force people to pay a tax every time they leave their house to internalize their externalities?

This rule is authoritarian, and it is wrong for the government to use its monopoly on violence to do this to farmers.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Denmark to charge $100 per cow in first carbon tax on far... by ceejayoz on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @10:31AM (#40800560)
> just ignore what it means to real people who have been farming their land for generations...

It's an extra $100 on a cow worth $3k that'll produce 10k+ gallons of milk in its lifetime. A penny per gallon of milk.

It likely means little to them.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Denmark to charge $100 per cow in first carbon tax on far... by toomuchtodo on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @10:29AM (#40800530)
Tradition is by no means a valid reason to destroy the one planet we share. Times change, adapt.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Denmark to charge $100 per cow in first carbon tax on far... by digging on Wednesday June 26, 2024 @10:31AM (#40800558)
> It's easy to throw around the word "externalities" and just ignore what it means to real people who have been farming their land for generations.

I wonder if we could invent some form of farming that doesn't depend on cows? Technology is pretty amazing these days.

[ Parent | on HN ]