Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
windmills.jpg

New York City economist and activist Charles Komanoff has been focused lately on developing and promoting the idea of a "carbon tax." Carbon taxes are still still very much considered fringe economic theory and politically unviable, though, as you read Komanoff's latest essay in Grist, you have to wonder how long that will last. The arguments in favor of carbon taxes are logical, powerful and, at least to this non-economist, seem to make a ton of common sense.

Fuel Tax Magic
by Charles Komanoff

...For all the promising antidotes to oil dependence, from ethanol and hybrid cars to rearranging living patterns so people and goods don't have to move as much, there's a growing awareness that the only surefire way to advance on all fronts is to create an irresistible and universal market pull by pricing gasoline at a very high level -- perhaps in the $10 a gallon range. And now that the climate crisis is overtaking oil dependence as the ultimate energy nightmare, people are starting to face the fact that only vastly higher prices for all fossil fuels can reduce CO2 emissions across the board, through conservation, not just of gasoline but of all petroleum products as well as natural gas and coal.

Yes, I'm talking about a carbon tax -- the only mechanism powerful and direct enough for the daunting task of phasing out fossil fuels....

Links:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Welcome Our Robot Overlords

The robotaxi field is growing, but with buyouts and now possibly layoffs at the U.S. DOT, will anyone be left to regulate them?

July 30, 2025

Shifting Gears to Urban Delivery to Bikes

Bikes can revolutionize delivery in urban areas. A new report outlines how policymakers can spur them in their communities.

July 30, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Reel in the Years

Republicans continue to roll back the Biden administration's legacy, most recently ending the DOT's Neighborhood Access and Equity program.

July 29, 2025

What Will It Take To Give Victims and Advocates a Voice at US DOT?

A new bill would put a dedicated "roadway safety advocate" in the halls of US DOT — and you can support it right now.

July 29, 2025

Monday’s Headlines E-Biking Away

There's a million destinations if we had a little help from the government to afford to buy an e-bike.

July 28, 2025

How Trump is Exploiting a Very Real Trucking Safety Concern to Crack Down on Immigrants

The Trump administration will crack down on truck drivers who don't speak English and the people who give them licenses. Some advocates say that anti-immigrant spin is distracting much broader safety problems that deserve bipartisan support.

July 28, 2025
See all posts