Carbon Tax to Solve Global Warming

According to a top US economist last Thursday that in order to fight global warming, carbon taxes and not cap and trade market alone will lead the technological changes the world's energy system needs.

Spending almost $65 billion a year for permits to emit greenhouse gasses, cap and trade has been the dominant choice to slow global warming. The European Union, under the Kyoto Protocol, even adopted the policies as well as other US companies who volunteered for the program which by the way, are the major carbon polluters.

Jeffrey Sachs - a special advisor to the U.N. Secretary General and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University - told a panel last Thursday that it is much more cheaper and simpler to put carbon tax on energy production rather than  putting a cap on tens and thousands of polluters. This carbon tax will somehow focus at an oil wellhead or refinery. 

As the world prepares to form  a successor agreement for the Kyoto Protocol by the end of next year, focus is sharpening on how well is the cap and trade markets are fighting emissions. Carbon taxes will quickly cut emissions across all sectors of the economy, including vehicles and manufacturing, said Sachs. It could be more efficient than spreading the trade of permits across the financial system.  

Sarah Palin on the Environment

This coming November of 2008, the world will witness history in the making as democrats and republicans fight again to claim the presidency of the United States of America. Bush will no longer run this time and will allow two parties with different viewpoints clash and seek supremacy at the end of this year. But let me cut down the chase and focus on the stand of republican Governor Sarah Palin running for the vice-president position regarding the environment.

She claims that "climate change is not to be attributed as man made" during an interview with news week. Her state (Alaska) is by far the one who is affected most of it but still she insist that this is a natural phenomenon that is not solely blamable to mankind's actions. Now my position on that... BULL@#$%!

Looking at her platform on "environmental reforms", she is pro-oil drilling in the ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) because according to scientist, Alaska holds approximately 10.3 billions bbl of "recoverable undiscovered oil," which will make it the largest onshore oil deposits in the US. With her running mate Mccain who was quoted "if you want to drill, drill, drill, ANWR is where you will start" . 

ANWR is home of bears, gray wolves, sandhill cranes, and a herd of caribou. Now when you look at it in a very simplistic manner, opening up an oil-drilling center in that area will cause a domino effect in the ecology. You have to realize that in order to establish that oil-drilling activity, one must invest in transportation (thus creation of unwanted service roads), waste disposal and operation of heavy machinery that can add to the daily carbon emissions. Even though she promises to tapped only a portion (19 million acre) of the undiscovered oil, this will still make a dent in the surrounding areas. 

She is now even with Bush when it comes to environmental reforms and when you look at it, Bush even change his position today regarding climate change. He is now pro to capping the gas emissions of major companies to a minimum in order to minimize and eventually decrease the production of these gasses. 

There was even an instance that Sarah Palin sued the Federal Government for stating a fact that the polar bears are threatened species due to warming. Her act of suing is no doubt self-service since this statement can stop the policy in opening the ANWR for oil-drilling. 

Even though she claims that this will help the Americans solve the energy problem, most economist claim that this action can only cause a minimal change in the long-run. There is no guarantee that pushing for the onshore drilling will cause a rising effect in their economy.

To know more about her position for the environment, click here.

As for me, I say NO to Sarah Palin!

Schwarzenneger to Host Climate Summit

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger has announced plans to host a climate-change summit in Los Angeles in November in an attempt to form an international climate alliance of local, regional, and world leaders ahead of United Nations climate talks in Poland in December. 

The summit invitees include governors from all 50 states, as well as officials from Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Mexico, and more. "The real action for any new ideas is always on the local level. This is how we can push the agenda," Schwarzenegger said. "We are not waiting for the federal government." 

Schwarzenneger announced the summit a day ahead of the second anniversary of California's landmark climate law that aims to cut the state's emissions 25 percent by 2020. 

Clogged Beijing Unveils New Traffic Controls

Beijing - flushed with the success of Olympic traffic controls and struck by the painful return to congested normality, Beijing on Saturday unveiled plans for smaller-scale but permanent controls on its drivers. 

Cars will be banned from the roads one out of five weekdays, in a system based on the number of their license plate, and 30% of government cars will be taken off the road entirely. the official Xinhua agency reported. 

The new rules will kick in for a six-month trial on October 11. Department stores will open and close and hour later and the government will encourage companies to allow flexible working hours or change their shifts to ease the rush hour traffic that brings part of the city to a near standstill. It is also considering raising downtown parking fees. 

After the clearer skies and smooth roads of the Olympics, the city has been buzzing with discussions of whether the traffic controls that grounded cars on alternate days for two months could be extended. Under the new system all cars will be free to circulate at weekends. 

On Mondays cars with license plates ending with 1 or 6 will be banned, on Tuesdays those ending in 2 or 7, on Wednesdays 3 and 8, on Thursdays 4 and 9 and on Fridays 5 and 0.

Now why can't the Philippines follow this? What I like the most is the reduction of government cars to 30%. If we do that here it could seriously change traffic and at the same time lessen the gas emissions that's causing the air pollution.