'Carbon tax' is sensible, and perhaps inevitable, advocate says

Dieter Helm of Oxford says climate change policy should focus not on carbon production, but carbon consumption. A tax on carbon-heavy activities places the emphasis where it belongs, he says.

Reporting from Oxford, England – With the global climate change summit in Copenhagen just a few weeks away, gloom has settled in many quarters over the increasing likelihood that a robust international treaty to lower carbon emissions is out of reach, at least for now.

On an individual level, some countries have turned to a “carbon tax” to discourage carbon-heavy activities such as driving cars or taking long flights or manufacturing certain products. In contrast, U.S. lawmakers have shelved the idea of a carbon tax in favor of a “cap-and-trade” scheme, which permits industries to buy and sell pollution allowances.

Dieter Helm, an economist and professor of energy policy, is a strong advocate of the carbon tax. He spoke to The Times in his office at Oxford University.

LA Times