Bernie Sanders has long been a champion of a carbon tax as a way to accelerate the transition off fossil fuels. He co-introduced a bill to tax carbon in 2013 that would have distributed 60 percent of the revenue back to consumers, he ran for president on taxing carbon in 2016, and he successfully pushed for language in the Democratic Party platform that year in support of the idea.
It’s never been the only thing he’s supported to tackle climate change —he’s also advocated for policies like ending subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, funding worker retraining programs, massive investment in energy efficiency, public transit, high-speed rail, solar and wind and more. But he has made clear that a carbon tax should be an integral part of any plan.
But over the last year, some influential progressive and environmental groups have soured on the idea. Some just ideologically dislike the idea of any kind of market-based solution. Others have paradoxically grown distrustful of a carbon tax as more Republicans have warmed to the idea, fearful conservatives will undermine it. Others say the Yellow Vest protests in France combined with the fact that it has failed to pass on the ballot in places like Washington state should tell us to divert our political energies elsewhere.
Bernie, since launching his campaign, has been silent on the issue. As voters wait for him to release his presidential climate plan, a key question will be to see if he abandons the idea he’s long heralded or integrates it into his push for a Green New Deal.
I can tell you what I think: I hope he does what he’s long done, and pushes for both.
You can read The Intercept story here.
Will Bernie Sanders stick with a carbon tax?
Also, is cap and trade dead forever? Some economists prefer it to a carbon tax because the cap can control the amount of emissions better. If you set the level of the carbon tax wrong you could end up with a lot more emissions than you planned for.
Do you think a climate change plan could be successful without a carbon tax? Is it a necessary component? A nice-to-have component?