cover image The Case for a Carbon Tax: Getting Past Our Hang-Ups to Effective Climate Policy

The Case for a Carbon Tax: Getting Past Our Hang-Ups to Effective Climate Policy

Shi-Ling Hsu. Island, $35 trade paper (244p) ISBN 9781597265331

"Climate change could well turn out to be a more important problem than national security, space exploration, or the confrontation of fascism." University of British Columbia professor and environmental lawyer Hsu doesn't waste time arguing whether climate change is happening, or about its implications to social justice around the world. Instead, he launches into a treatise that presents a sound, well-researched, and accessible argument for implementation of a carbon tax. As Hsu writes: "Because of its breadth, its simplicity, and its ability to piggyback on existing regulatory infrastructure, [a carbon tax] offers the greatest chance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately." Pros include: providing incentive for innovation; ease of administration and ability to be combined with other regulations, both existing and future; and creation of a revenue stream. Hsu clearly tackles the cons, including arguments that such a tax is regressive, ineffective, or economically harmful. Acknowledging political reality, Hsu states that politicians worldwide hesitate to propose a carbon tax even if they believe it's the best idea, and even though it has been successfully implemented in British Columbia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. This concise, logical, and sincere dissertation should be required reading for policymakers. (Sept.)