• curiousaur@reddthat.com
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    8 months ago

    Yes there’s been a much better idea for a long time now that lots of smart people are pushing for. Don’t tax the co2 emitted when it’s burned. Tax is when it comes out of the ground. Put the price there and let it trickle down the supply lines.

    Problem is, if we put a tax that represents the damage to our planet caused by CO2 on the carbon that comes out of the ground, all coal mining and oil extraction would cease nearly overnight, since it would no longer be profitable. Which says a lot.

    • skozzii@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      I like this, I’ve never had anyone come out with an actual suggestion that is better than what’s on the table. This could work.

      It’s usually just the opposition whining for political points with no plan, and that I can not stand.

      • fuckyou@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        It’s not the ideas, we have the solutions, it’s getting everyone aboard.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      8 months ago

      The problem with that is that Canada has international competitors that don’t have an extra tax, and our oil is already expensive. Otherwise, I actually think this would work out about the same way. I suppose you could add tariffs to try and simulate it on American shale oil or whatever, but that would piss off trading partners and still be pretty complicated.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          8 months ago

          Cool, I guess. Like, not trying to be rude, and I’d respond more fully, but I’m not sure that phrase means anything.

          • curiousaur@reddthat.com
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            8 months ago

            It’s means that Canada should just stop trading oil. Everyone should. Like I said in my comment, everyone who puts the price of the damage into the carbon as it comes out will stop pulling it out immediately because it’s no longer profitable. Everyone extracting carbon is externalizing the cost against our future.

            • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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              8 months ago

              Well, you might be in your remote off-grid cabin, and willing to disconnect from the gas-powered internet backbone and grow your own food organically tomorrow, but imma level with you, I’m not. I’m going to keep burning gas until I have an alternative that I can at least survive. That means I need more of a plan than “just stop”.

                • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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                  8 months ago

                  Literally almost all people in Canada aren’t in an off-grid cabin. If you seriously are, I commend you. Sending these messages might be your only carbon footprint today.

                  I personally could not afford a cabin or land, and I doubt I’m medically fit to be a sustenance farmer. I do activism, mostly, since that seems to be the main way for me to help. If I save up enough to put up panels I will.