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The Forum > Article Comments > Protecting the weak: put an air and sea carbon levy back on the table > Comments

Protecting the weak: put an air and sea carbon levy back on the table : Comments

By Jack Bennetto, published 27/11/2013

Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar with little constraint, yet if countries continue to coast with unambitious reduction commitments we are on track for 3 to 4 degrees of dangerous warming.

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Yeh! Best place for a levy is on the table and just leave it there ; on the table.
Now you advocate socialism on a grand scale.

BTW. You say " ... a charge of $25 per tonne of carbon would only raise the price of air tickets by an estimated 2-4 per cent. "

Well why not place a levy on all student HELP costs to go towards funding this grand plan. After all it s only 2 to 4 percent.
Posted by Kilmouski, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 8:13:50 AM
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Yes, withdraw some student benefits to help the developing countries. Sounds like a good idea.

Developing countries would be greatly helped in their adaptation efforts if their per-capita income was higher. If the Philippine people caught by the typhoon had been able to afford housing built to the building codes applicable along the northern coasts of Queensland, say, then the disaster would have been greatly reduced. Forget the supposed temperature increases and work on increasing income - many more people will be saved, no matter what happens. The tax might hurt development, by hindering tourism so it should be treated with suspicion.
Posted by Curmudgeon, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 9:49:13 AM
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I don't know about a levy or how that would help!
The actual and ever rising cost of bunker fuel will.
But particularly if a very savvy govt were to get involved and build its own maritime fleet, powered by pebble reactors.
If this fleet were designed as roll on roll off submersibles, and there isn't any technical reason why not, [we already have some hard won submarine building expertise],
we could undercut every Maritime freight forwarding company in the world.
The advantage of a submersible is, given inherent stability, it can be long enough to take entire kilometre long double decker train in one single loading action.
The seas could be whipped up to a frightening fury, as evidenced in the recent hurricane that demolished large parts of the Philippines, yet the vessels, would remain totally stable and secure at 50 below.
50 below, would also put them out of reach of pirates in small boats.
Current nuclear technology, would enable speeds of up to 50 knots, which would forward freight in half the time.
Inboard nuclear energy, could also be plugged into the train, ensuring that all chilled cargo remained chilled and that the air was frequently replenished from decomposed sea water.
Now if someone like Clive Palmer ran the country, he with his nose for a fail safe investment would say, look, in a four hundred billion dollar budget, we can set enough aside, to make this not just possible, but our very own massive income earning reality, ahead of the next election.
Precision laser cutters, single design patterns, robotics, continuous wire fed MIG welders and mass production, would enable us to turn out a dozen or more of these vessels every twelve months and have all sea trials concluded inside two years. And they only need to create a sea links between here and Singapore, China-Hong Kong, Korea-Japan, Norway-Britain-France, Siberia-Alaska etc, with the rest of the distance covered to our Asian/European customers, by very rapid rail links!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 10:16:31 AM
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re: I don't know about a levy or how that would help!
The actual and ever rising cost of bunker fuel will.

Every little bit helps.

And who foots the cost of these imposed levies? The transport companies, yes?

About our submarine building expertise. Surely you jest.
Posted by Kilmouski, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 10:30:29 AM
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If you want to have any hope of avoiding the worst of climate change we have to phase out the use of coal very soon. Tinkering around the edges just ain’t going to do the job.

Curmudgeon your comments about building to a better code would have only made one difference in the Philippines and that is the insurance bill would have vastly higher. With a 300+ Kph wind and a storm surge of around 12 feet, your typical Queensland house is going to fare no better than those in Tacloban. If you want proof you only have to look at what cyclone Tracy did to Darwin and they did not cop a storm surge.

The power of the wind goes up the cube of the wind speed or to put it crudely double the wind speed and you get 8 times more destruction. In reality when winds get anywhere close to 200 kph the only sensible thing to do is evacuate.

For a cyclone or typhoon to form the first and most important requirement is a sea temperatures above 26 degs C. We know that the sea temperatures around the Philippines have been well above this critical temperature recently and also well above average. There is a clear line of reasoning which links the high sea temperatures to the ferocity of the storm , you just have to figure out why the sea is currently so warm. The best exploitation is AGW.
ww.surfline.com/weather-forecasts/philippines/philippines-sea-surface-temperature_7263/
Posted by warmair, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 10:48:02 AM
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Magnetron rail links, would enable this service to beat current air freight, and for less than half the cost!
Simply put, decarbonizing our economies, will just massively improve our economies and opportunities, but particularly for those with the vision and the wit to go first.
We just need govts to stop thinking about creating microscopic opportunities for entirely self serving individuals, and start thinking about creating ones for the entire nation!
But more than that, how we as a single united homogenous society, can earn enough foreign capital, to never ever again put our hand out to problematic foreign investors, or, ever need to ever again pay any personal tax.
Simply put, a grand plan, and forward thinkers, could ensure we as corporate Australia, earned more than enough to run the country.
Our current and still finite exports would underwrite/pay for the plan. As would any and all later capital inflows!
Govts can borrow money for far less than the private market!
It's not such a big ask, given the number of monolithic multinationals, who already manage budgets far larger than that of many sovereign nations. If they can with their top heavy cost structures, then we with a streamlined and less expensive to operate, govt owned corporation, can do at least as well!?
We just need to ensure that politicians don't run the things, or exercise any control over operating capital!
Particularly, given the number of failed business persons, who seem to gravitate to politics and political salaries, as their personal bankruptcy avoidance measure?
We just need enough check and balances built into the system, to ensure that pollies, don't see any govt owned corporation as their own personal piggy bank or ATM!
Dividend streams can start when all debt is paid down or out!
What is critical, is parliaments, finally rid of the moribund morons, who go around muttering meincharge, or, that the govt has no business in business, almost as if there were any or some element of actual truth, in this particularly pernicious idiocy!?
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 27 November 2013 11:08:25 AM
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