http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2010/03/19/the-copenhagen-accord-real-progress-through-2020-emission-goals/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:23:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2010/03/19/the-copenhagen-accord-real-progress-through-2020-emission-goals/comment-page-1/#comment-104352 Lincoln Fung Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:18:03 +0000 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/?p=10753#comment-104352 Any ad hoc approach and hope all important parties will accept that approach may be some wishful thinking. If emissions are really having a negative effect on climate change, the best and most equitable approach is to correct that negative effect by explicitly "taxing" emissions wherever they occur and distribute that tax proceed to those who have a right to a good climate. That does not need to arbitrarily define who should and who shouldn't bear the costs or how much each should bear. It is simply so puzzling why such a simple economic principle taught in economics is so easily forgotten or abandoned by virtually all bright economists around the world. Instead, they are inventing this scheme, that scheme, then they try to rationalise with this or that. To me it is not too different from reinventing the wheel and is simply silly approaches, to put it mildly. Any ad hoc approach and hope all important parties will accept that approach may be some wishful thinking.
If emissions are really having a negative effect on climate change, the best and most equitable approach is to correct that negative effect by explicitly “taxing” emissions wherever they occur and distribute that tax proceed to those who have a right to a good climate.
That does not need to arbitrarily define who should and who shouldn’t bear the costs or how much each should bear.
It is simply so puzzling why such a simple economic principle taught in economics is so easily forgotten or abandoned by virtually all bright economists around the world. Instead, they are inventing this scheme, that scheme, then they try to rationalise with this or that.
To me it is not too different from reinventing the wheel and is simply silly approaches, to put it mildly.

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