Climate Change and Tax Policy

Abstract

Scientific evidence suggests that man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially carbon dioxide emissions, are a contributing factor to global climate change. This global climate change negatively impacts our Earth and policymakers must implement climate change policies in an effort to decrease carbon emission and mitigate its negative impacts. This Article will analyze three options for regulating GHG emissions: traditional command-and-control regulation, tradable permit markets, and taxes. Following a detailed analysis of both the theoretical and practical arguments regarding carbon taxation and alternative emissions permit trading schemes, this Article concludes that carbon taxation is the superior method of reducing carbon emissions.