Could American carbon taxes actually accelerate climate change?

Question

When a state or even congress issues a new tax on carbon emissions (or pollution credit system), some companies find it cheaper to continue or expand production levels by building a new plant in Mexico, where there are virtually no regulations and both labour and construction are much cheaper. This remains to be cheaper even with the cap and trade incentives to upgrade to cleaner production methods.

My state of PA passed a similar law and numerous local companies outsourced production to Mexico. Could Gov. Rendell's and the DEPA's intentions to reduce global warming have done just the opposite?

Answer 1

carbon taxes are nothing more than a money grabbing scam.............

Answer 2

everything has a side effect

adding this tax will decrease alotta companies' carbon emmissons at the cost of a few companies moving to Mexico the positive effect outweight the negative effect

Answer 3

Yes - there is always unintended consequences like the ones you mentioned.  

If global warming were a real scientific problem taxes wouldn't help.  But since "global warming" is just a political issue, taxes are expected.

Answer 4

Human contribution of CO2 to our atmosphere when factoring in water vapor amounts to less than 1% of the green-house gasses in our atmosphere. Our contributions of CFC’s is approximately 7.5 tons to the stratosphere, where volcano’s, evaporation of sea water, the burning of biomass, injects a total of 650 million tons of chlorine, from natural sources .

Man’s contributions are trifling frivolous when compared to the natural order of things. So the answer to your question is that even if we produced more, it would make any difference at all.

Earth will not warm because of man’s contributions, nor we will succeed in destroying the ozone hole.

Answer 5

They'll have to throw me in jail before I pay a dime of environmental extortion money.

Answer 6

This is why all countries are trying to agree on international greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets, like with the Kyoto Treaty.  That's why it's so important that we not only go along with these international agreements, but that we help lead the way to make sure these sorts of loopholes don't exist.  Unfortunately the USA so far has been the country holding these international agreements back rather than the country leading them.  Hopefully that will change soon.

Answer 7

Human impact on carbon emissions is so small that it will make little noticeable change in that respect.

Carbon taxes will accelerate poverty.

Global warming hysteria is nothing more than religion that has become fodder for political positioning.

Answer 8

I wouldn't say it would accelerate any climate change, but it will certainly hinder the economy.  As Dr. Jello said, Global Warming as we know it is a political issue.  It's just being used as an excuse to take more money away from those that earned it to expand government in the name of a cause that we have almost no control over.  And Dana, even global warming subscribers admit that Kyoto will do almost nothing in a 50 year span.  Estimates have been .07 degrees over that time.  That's almost nothing and all with a serious cost to the economy.  Not to mention, you should probably get your facts straight.  155 countries didn't sign the treaty and you single out the U.S.  The only thing that is changing and will continue to do so is the education of the masses to this global scam.  You're living in a house of deceit and the walls are beginning to come down around you, pal.