Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » The Breath Tax

There is an old joke that if the government could it would tax the very air that we breathe. As social commentary Waxman-Markey’s assumption that we can save the planet by taxing CO2 – a substance every human being emits with every breath taken–is absurd indeed. It’s also an old joke that is not very funny.

Worldchanging: Bright Green: Designing Effective Policy Before Copenhagen: A Conversation With Denis Hayes

[Q] Can you share with us your feelings about what climate policy should look like and why?

Denis Hayes: There are potential solutions, they just have no political muscle behind them. I frankly wish that Copenhagen weren’t out there right now. If Copenhagen were a year and a half away, this whole thing would be so much easier. We’re in a position right now where unless we send a signal to the world that America is willing to work on climate, then Copenhagen will be basically scrapped. If we don’t have something that is a step forward in America, probably by July, then Copenhagen is unlikely to be very important or dramatic.