Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Solar and wind are far from economical either. I think we need to recognize that none of the alternatives to fossil fuels will give us anywhere close to the bang for our buck.
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A carbon tax is a way of levelling that playing field.
Right now, conventional fuels are underwritten at a huge public cost, both directly from the public purse and in the environmental damage they cause which is externalised onto society as a whole.
There is a previously unaccounted for cost in the consumption of fossil fuel resources that has artificially lowered the cost of the product. Without getting too involved in the politics, there's a social cost as well to helping ensure those costs remain artificially low.
The cost of fossil fuel use is rising, particularly coal.