Carbon Taxes

I read that San Francisco will impose a carbon tax on CO2 emissions from businesses starting July 1. Here we go! When carbon taxes really take hold (and which government agency would not like to have THAT for an income stream?), we should expect to see a real recession in this country (and not just the slowdown that we are currently experiencing).

SF is charging 4.4 cents per ton of CO2, which amounts to a surcharge on natural gas of only one 40th of a cent per therm, but the camel's nose is under the tent and the cat is out of the bag. In the long run, I expect carbon taxes of $10-20 per ton, enough to cover the cost of sequestering the CO2 produced at electric power plants.

Before we throw the country into a full fledged recession, are we SURE that our CO2 emissions are causing global warming? Are we SURE that reducing carbon emissions will stop global warming? Are we SURE that reducing carbon emissions is the best way to fight the long term impacts of global warming? From what I am reading, the answer to the first question is "maybe", and the answer to the second question is "no". And I suggest that the cost of moving whole cities in low lying areas to higher elevations is far less costly than worldwide carbon taxes. Imagine a bright clean shiny new Calcutta built on high ground!

For another's opinions on this subject, see
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/apr/25/global-warming-hysteria/