With all the talk on carbon credits, cap and trade agreements, and proposed policies regarding carbon “pollution”, one question needs to be considered: what is carbon, and why a carbon tax?
Carbon is life. It is the 6th element on the Periodic Table of Elements. It is one of the four most abundant elements in the universe: hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon. All life is composed of carbon. Carbon is the chemical basis of all known life on Earth.
If carbon is the basis for all life, are we as a nation proposing a tax on life?
What about CO2? CO2 is short for carbon dioxide – one carbon molecule and two oxygen molecules. It is a gas at room temperature, and represents less than 0.04% of Earth’s atmosphere. It is essential for all life, being the foundation of plant photosynthesis.
CO2 is produced as a byproduct from the combustion of carbon containing materials, such as wood, coal, and petroleum. To be CO2 neutral means the CO2 being produced is equally consumed by the plant kingdom. CO2 is also produced by the natural decomposition of organic matter, such as at a Wastewater Treatment Facility, where aerobic decomposition releases CO2 into the atmosphere.
Fun Fact: next time you are in the vicinity of your local Wastewater Treatment Facility, as you drive closer to the facility; notice how all the plants are lusher, greener, and healthier as you near. This is directly due to the increased CO2 being consumed by the vegetation.
If passed, the proposed cap and trade regulations will be laid on the energy producer – such as a coal plant – and will then pass directly to you, the consumer, in the form of higher energy prices. Call it an emission standard if you’d like, but it still boils down to higher prices for you. I call it a carbon tax. An indirect tax, but a tax nonetheless.
Both carbon and CO2 are essential for all life on Earth.
When considering the corporate and political agendas proposing regulations (taxation) on carbon or CO2, please consider: how would a tax on life affect you? You and I are a part of life.
Tax on Carbon + Carbon Based Life Forms = Tax on Life
If the goal of the proposed cap and trade regulation is truly to fix pollution caused by non-renewable energy sources, then a more direct solution would be to remove the current government subsidies on coal and petroleum. This would cause the energy prices to rise, directly reflecting there true cost; and subsequently making renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and hydrogen, financially viable competitors overnight.
Pollution is real. Over consumption is real. But there are also real solutions. Taxation of the 4th most abundant element in the universe will fix nothing. Changing how we think about energy – its collection, distribution, and storage – can fix everything.