A Vox explainer describes the complex political, economic, and cultural obstacles to overcome in achieving a carbon tax equal to the social cost of carbon.
"A consensus has formed among economists, climate wonks, and progressives that a carbon tax is the best way to address climate change," according to an article by David Roberts, adding, "In some quarters, rhetorical support for a carbon tax is seen as a litmus test for whether policymakers are serious about climate change."
Roberts has actually produced back to back articles on the subject of a carbon tax. The first, published on Earth Day, questioned the idea that the carbon tax is the "first best" carbon policy. In the follow-up post, Roberts instead assumes "that a carbon tax, equal to the social cost of carbon, is the ideal climate policy." The question Roberts seeks to answer then: If a carbon tax is the most efficient and effective mechanism for addressing climate change, how should the policy's apologists go about enacting a new regulatory system?
Roberts begins by noting that carbon tax proponents have yet to play the game of politics, thus commencing what he describes as "a better, more grounded conversation about what's possible for carbon pricing."
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