A Carbon Tax: A Non-Negotiable Path Forward
To mitigate the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, it’s clear that incremental solutions like driving EVs and corporate recycling programs, while helpful, are insufficient. Systemic, economy-wide change is necessary—and a carbon tax is a proven mechanism to drive that transformation.
The True Cost of Fossil Fuels
For decades, subsidies to the petrochemical industry have artificially lowered the price of fossil fuels, while ignoring the well known environmental costs. It has enabled the U.S. to reclaim its position as the largest fossil fuel producer. These subsidies have underwritten our dependence on oil and gas, crowding out investments in future energy technology, renewable energy and delaying the transition to sustainable systems. This has ceded one of the two most important economic activities of the future to China ( the other being AI where the USA hopefully still leads).
Reallocating these petrochemical subsidies into expanding the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and scaling renewable energy could cement U.S. leadership in the global clean energy economy. It would also send a critical market signal: the future is electric and it’s going to be expensive for corporations to emit carbon and methane into the atmosphere. We must incentivize a shift away from carbon-intensive industries.
Carbon Taxes: Driving Systemic Change
A carbon tax places a financial cost on carbon emissions, forcing corporations to internalize the environmental costs of their operations. Revenue from such a tax could be reinvested in clean energy, grid upgrades, public transportation, and climate adaptation measures. Without this lever, we risk continuing to subsidize the very industries responsible for worsening fires, floods, and hurricanes.
Leveraging Public and Political Will
As Elon Musk pointed out in Tesla’s Master Plan Part 3, electrifying the world’s energy and transportation sectors is not just technically feasible but essential. However, the pace of adoption needs a catalyst. A carbon tax can act as that catalyst by accelerating investment in the newest types of energy infrastructure, making EVs, solar, grid scale batteries and other sustainable technologies not just preferable but economically viable/profitable. Someone will build the next energy and transportation networks for the world and it will not be oil and gas driven. Do we want the future to belong to China?
A Stark Choice
If we fail to pass a carbon tax, we will continue to experience the compounding effects of climate change. Apocalyptic fires, biblical floods, and hot oceans and winds will become the new normal, leading to catastrophic losses in biodiversity, infrastructure, and human life. As these disasters accumulate they will force humanity into a corner—either to act decisively or to suffer mother nature’s dramatic culling of the human herd.
The Call to Vote
This reality underscores the critical importance of political engagement. Legislation reflecting climate science—like carbon taxes, expanded renewable energy investments, and international climate cooperation—requires a mandate from voters. We must elect leaders who prioritize a livable future over short-term profits for entrenched industries. Let’s hope Elon Musk’s influence on Trumpland will be positive in this regard.
Written by Tom Herman, CTO EcoClaim Solutions
Https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomherman
