Carbon Tax

133 hurt, 412 arrested in riot over taxes intended to help environment

Don't worry if they don't agree on a carbon tax or climate change.

He also says owls don't exist. Yeah, we don't get it either.

In the hyperbolic political atmosphere of America today, left-leaning liberals are seen as tofu-eating, Toyota Prius-driving communists, while right-leaning conservatives are depicted as gun-toting, pickup-driving patriots. Thankfully, the real world is a lot more diverse than those caricatures.

The idea of a carbon tax has been floated for over a decade now as a way to more accurately represent the true environmental cost of energy. Many automakers have advocated switching from the current tax on each gallon of gasoline and diesel to a carbon-based tax on all energy sources as a way to help incentivize consumers to buy the cleaner, more efficient vehicles that automakers will be

There were obvious eco-preservation overtones in the movie Avatar, but we didn't know James "King of the World" Cameron was such a fervent defender of the planet. With Pandora safe from mineral exploitation, Cameron is leading a charge here on Earth against what he considers a disinformation campaign perpetuated by the oil and coal lobbies. If you've seen a TV spot that includes the

France had one of Europe's most ambitious "cash for clunkers" plan, but the fun will end in the new year. Starting January 1st, France's program will only pay out the largest award – €1,000 – to buyers of just one model: the smart fortwo cdi. The reason can be found at the tailpipe.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has announced a cash-for-clunkers program for the Republic that will start next year. The plan, announced during the presentation of the 2010 budget, is set to help Irish motorists get rid of cars more than 10 years old with a €1,500 reduction in the Vehicle Registration Tax. The plan should boost car sales, which have dropped significantly the last couple of years, and renew the Irish motor fleet. Minister Lenihan also confirmed that an already-in-place

Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard has introduced his final proposal for a carbon tax, which was one of the star measures announced as "Grenelle de l'environnement." Called "Contribution climat-énergie," the proposal will charge CO2 emitters €32 per metric ton in 2010. This climbs up to €100 in 2030 and then

Amid all the squabbling about how high to raise fuel economy standards and in what time frame, no one has been willing to step up to the plate and do the one thing that would make the standards a moot point. No one has been willing to propose taxes that would raise the price of fuel to a level that would force Americans to face the true cost of their energy choices. Until now that is and amazingly enough it's coming from a corner you might not expect.

California congressman Pete Stark has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives HR 2069 that would establish a carbon tax on fossil fuels. The Save Our Climate Act would add a tax of $10 per ton of carbon in the fuel at the time that is either imported or extracted from the ground.

Man, we've been focusing on all the wrong things. In our attempt to figure out how the political shift in Washington, D.C. earlier this month will affect the green car industry, we stupidly paid attention to the politicians. (slaps forehead) The Washington Post does the right thing and discovered what the real power brokers in D.C. – the corporations and the lobbyists – think of the new landscape. The short version: climate change is real, and we are going to do something ab

There's talk in New Zealand of taking the carbon neutral concept to a nationwide level. Prime Minister Helen Clarke has said she's in favor of the idea, and yesterday, Toyota New Zealand executive chairman Bob Field said that a carbon tax might be necessary to make the idea a reality. Field told the New Zealand Herald that, since all political parties in New Zealand are in favor of sustainability, that, "Corrective and collective action is long overdue if we are serious about reducing carbon emi