Carbon taxes are political suicide in the US. In fact, we know that oil companies push for them exactly because they know how unpopular they are.
In Washington state, one of the more progressive states, they've failed over and over again to pass a carbon tax. Nothing they can do makes it work politically. In France, a carbon tax kicked off the yellow vests movement.
Like it or not, the Green New Deal framing works better, because it emphasizes the benefits, rather than the costs.
It seems a strategy that might work is pairing the carbon tax with a universal refundable tax credit such that it's revenue-neutral. That way people can pocket the difference if they want to use less carbon.
The more time passes, the more people support a carbon tax. A carbon tax and dividend is actually supported by a majority of Americans of both parties, now. But Congress is lagging behind popular support a bit, and needs people to let them know that we do support it.
Exactly. America is structurally dependent on cars. The working poor have been forced into increasingly long commutes to find affordable housing. We need big structural changes: densification, massive investment in sustainable transit systems and urban design.
In Washington state, one of the more progressive states, they've failed over and over again to pass a carbon tax. Nothing they can do makes it work politically. In France, a carbon tax kicked off the yellow vests movement.
Like it or not, the Green New Deal framing works better, because it emphasizes the benefits, rather than the costs.