Europe threatens U.S. with carbon tariffs to combat climate change

[applegrove]

Europe threatens U.S. with carbon tariffs to combat climate change

“It’s not whether it’s going to happen — it’s going to happen,” former Secretary of State John Kerry predicts.

By ZACK COLMAN

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/13/europe-carbon-tariff-climate-change-084892

"SNIP......

MADRID — European countries frustrated by inaction on climate change are taking a lesson from President Donald Trump’s trade wars — and threatening carbon tariffs on laggards like the United States.

By imposing tariffs on goods from the U.S. and other countries that lack tough climate policies, the Europeans would help their own industries avoid being handicapped by the EU’s greenhouse gas efforts. But if they hit the U.S., they would risk a worsening trade war with the Trump administration, which has already threatened hefty tariffs on goods such as French champagne and German autos over a range of competition disputes.

Potential carbon tariffs have been an active topic at the United Nations climate conference that wraps up this weekend in Madrid, where nearly 200 nations have been at odds over how to counter the continued global rise of greenhouse gas emissions. And some diplomats say it’s inevitable that governments will turn to trade barriers in the effort to fight climate change.

“It’s not whether it’s going to happen — it’s going to happen,” former Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the Paris accord during the Obama administration, said in an interview with POLITICO.

......SNIP"

[sandensea]

1. Cheeto thinks he can start trade wars with other countries, and that no one will retaliate

All the more so in this case, since Europe has gone much further in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions since 2000 than we have.

[AncientGeezer]

2. That would go poorly for Europe...Dumpster tarrifs are idiocy...

Europe hitting us...really not well thought out...and won't happen.

[karynnj]

3. It is interesting that when the US was trying to pass a climate change bill there was concern

that other countries would not agree to lower their carbon footprint and that doing that would give them a competitive advantage. The solution was that there would have to be the option of increasing tariffs to wipe out any financial gain by countries floating a world wide climate effort.

John Kerry is entirely correct -- and likely very sad that it is the US that is that country.

[defacto7]

4. I'm all for it. At least someone is walking the walk.

If our government won't act against HCCC then we deserve what other countries dish out.

[tritsofme]

5. I mean...a wordwide recession is one way to decrease carbon emissions.

Trade wars, like shooting wars, can get out of hand quickly.

[DanieRains]

6. Taxing Carbon Earth's Only Chance

Just imagine 5 degrees celsius! How well do you do at 125 degrees half of summer?

[abqtommy]

7. Yup. If tRUMP even knew that tariffs cut both ways then he's forgotten already.

[roamer65]

8. Smart move by the EU.

Next smart move would be to highly tariff nations that don’t drastically lower birth rates.

The best chance to halt carbon emissions is to halt baby production.

[tritsofme]

9. Poor countries typically have higher birth rates. You propose punitive tariffs against them?

[roamer65]

10. Yes.

Do you like having a livable planet? That is what is at stake. The survival of the human race.

Oceans warm too much and phytoplankton will begin to die. That means no O2.

[applegrove]

12. Best way to slow birth rate in poorer places is to educate girls and women..

Then, women in the poorest countires have 1.7 children like everyone else.

[roamer65]

13. It needs to be less than 1.0

https://psmag.com/environment/global-warming-is-putting-phytoplankton-in-danger

Phytoplankton levels are already down 40 percent since 1950.

Best way is to offer financial incentives to men to have vasectomies. Women shouldn’t have to bear all the responsibilities of population control.

[tritsofme]

14. There are other ways to encourage changes in behavior than punishing poor countries.

That sounds more like Old World imperialism.

[roamer65]

15. The watch the human race cease to exist.

Personally, I think it deserves it. We have been utterly HORRIBLE stewards of this planet.

[tritsofme]

16. You present a false choice.

[roamer65]

17. You are naive.

Get your head out of sand. Reality bites. But will be biting much harder if we do nothing.

https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/geosciences/geosciences-08-00201/article_deploy/geosciences-08-00201.pdf

[tritsofme]

18. You are just cruel. The choice isn't between causing people in poor countries to starve to death

and doing nothing.

[walkingman]

11. I hope so - I wish every nation would follow suit. Time to choose - greed or life.