In an auto milage deal worked out with the car companies President Obama did more in the first term to reduce global warming than all the legislation that didn't pass. He has a similar opportunity in his second term.
Yes siree Bob, I'm talking flying. The graphic in the NYT that I took the screen shot above from is Al Gore please click here
The EU taxes all flights in and out of Europe based on the carbon that is burned. America, China, and India, have successfully delayed paying such a tax for one year. How the US acts in the coming negotiations for a market based solution will signal how serious the Obama administration is about reducing carbon. http://www.nytimes.com/...
Why is this a big deal? Because attempts to regulate supply don't work so well. We're going to burn Jet A and gasoline and diesel, and there are no country of origin labels at the pump or on your ticketless ticket. When you fill up the Prius you don't first check for tar sand do you? You personally might choose to pay a ten dollar carbon tax to fly into the EU on a green carrier, and then again you might not. If we all do, that tax can be used in other ways to reduce CO2.
I don't think we can control the means of production. As much as I'd like to turn the world into a socialist utopia you're going to be supporting Exon Mobil in flying to Barbados for a while yet. And I don't begrudge you your time in the sun or off to Sausalito to visit your sister, but if we all could pay just a teeny weenie itsy bitsy bit more we'd fly less, and wreck the place slower. Come next September, your winter vacation on the Mediterranean might just cost a little more.
In all the talk about meat eaters destroying the planet while picking half cooked flesh from between our teeth, I never, ever, hear anything about flying. That's because "science writers" you know, those folks with a BA that write about "science" (god help us) don't want to talk about what they like to do. And science writers like to fly around a lot, to look at, well, science. So don't we all really. If I had the wherewithal I'd be someplace warm myself right now.
For a typical affluent American flying is more than likely the most carbon producing thing that they do. All of the LEDs, Priuses, recycling, hemp shirts, that you buy might not offset a flight to England from San Francisco. See those knuckle draggers in big pick ups with big wheels sitting about ten feet off the ground? Your flights have him beat by a country mile. Thirty thousand feet is way above that pickup.
Want to reduce carbon but don't want to fly less? At least support the US in joining the EU in a carbon tax on flights to Europe.
Update: Oh, god, can't believe this rant made it to rescued. Thank you though, and thank you to anyone who added the appropriate tags. If it's ok I'd like to pimp a diary on effective arguing I saw there also the art of arguement I aspire to being non confrontational while writing about subjects where I have lots of opine and little fact. I don't do so well but I wish to.
Oyvah, I see a rec tag too, not so well written this one, thought this would scroll off the list, oh well, carbon saved is carbon not burnt eh?