Green Tax

Niall Keane

I’ve heard said that the developing world is the worst offender per unit of produce regarding carbon emissions. They’re also the cheapest producers. Europe and the first world simply cannot compete regarding manufacturing, and I believe the same will be true within a decade in services.
At the same time our “enlightened” conscience is calling for free trading to allow desperately disadvantaged countries to trade their way out of poverty.
My question is: are the carbon taxes proposed by the green movement going to be used as a protectionist tariff against goods produced in the developed world? i.e. a country outside the EU for example currently suffering from a lack of competitiveness within the EU due to trading tariffs imposed will have these removed only to be replaced by a green tax? Is this the real agenda and the reason behind the adoption of green policies by western governments? Are they another desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable readjustment that must occur as we increasingly become a global economy?

ChocolateSauce

Before the thread goes any further, could you provide some sources for this thing that you've only heard? No sense in having a thread about something that might not be true.

Húrin

Niall Keane wrote: »

I’ve heard said that the developing world is the worst offender per unit of produce regarding carbon emissions. They’re also the cheapest producers. Europe and the first world simply cannot compete regarding manufacturing, and I believe the same will be true within a decade in services.

Currently it is unviable to manufacture in the west because energy is much cheaper than labour. The low price of energy for transport, especially shipping, is why we cannot manufacture locally.

However, there is every indication that world oil production will peak in the next ten years (I think five is more likely though), at which point oil prices will begin to rise irreversibly. Given the lack of any credible replacement for liquid transport fuel, in a short time this will make energy more expensive than labour. Thus it will become viable once again to manufacture here.

This is why I disagree with you that the first world won't be able to compete within a decade. I don't think that you have taken account of the price of oil.

At the same time our “enlightened” conscience is calling for free trading to allow desperately disadvantaged countries to trade their way out of poverty.
My question is: are the carbon taxes proposed by the green movement going to be used as a protectionist tariff against goods produced in the developed world?

Contrary to popular opinion, a carbon tax is just one of many possible policy choices to curtain carbon dioxide emissions. What might surprise you more is that among campaigners it is not even a popular method to achieve this.

One of the reasons why these countries are poor is because they rely on exporting raw food and materials for a pittance. Simultaneously their markets are flooded with cheap goods and food that local farmers and manufacturers can't compete with, thus retarding development. The inevitable end of cheap and abundant global transport will give the opportunity for third world producers to succeed.

Is this the real agenda and the reason behind the adoption of green policies by western governments?

Western governments are showing few signs of adopting green policies or trade agreements favourable to the third world.

Are they another desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable readjustment that must occur as we increasingly become a global economy?

We already live in a global economy, but for obvious reasons globalisation will go into reverse soon.