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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Carbon Taxes
Carbon Taxes
Carbon tax is intended to steadily rise over time, encouraging companies, organizations, and communities to slowly transition to cheaper, cleaner alternatives.
Carbon tax is intended as two parts of a coin: raising prices to discourage carbon emissions, while using those same funds to pay for cleanup and sequestration costs.
On our CO2 page we discuss a variety of ways to help combat CO2 emissions including a section on Carbon Capture (though it has yet to be proven effective much less a viable solution yet). Specifically quoting that:
"CCS costs range from $15 to $120 per metric ton of captured carbon depending on the emissions source, and DAC projects are even more expensive, between $600 and $1,000 per metric ton, because of the amount of energy needed to capture carbon from the atmosphere, according to the IEA." - Reuters
"Developers say they need a carbon price, either in the form of a carbon tax, trading scheme or tax break, that makes it profitable to capture and store the carbon. Without that, only carbon capture projects that increase revenue in a different way - like through increased oil output - are profitable." - Reuters
Sugar Tax
Sugar Tax
Sugar tax is often supported for public health benefits (without hurting sales for groceries or similar vendors), but implementing such a tax, and thereby decreasing sugar consumption could also create major ecological and CO2 benefits.
Sugar Tax vs CO2
Sugar Tax vs CO2
According to the Nature article "Sugar Taxation for Climate and Sustainability Goals", "Emissions could fall 20.9–54.3 Mt CO2e yr−1 if the EU were to reduce its sugar consumption in line with health guidelines and the excess Brazilian sugar cane redirected to ethanol. These savings would be around four times higher than an alternative strategy of afforesting existing EU sugar beet cropland and double those from producing sugar beet ethanol in the European Union. Achieving this through policies aimed at behavioural change, with a serious role for sugar taxation, would not only reduce the environmental impacts of biofuels but also provide health and economic benefits."
Sugar Tax vs Land-Use
Sugar Tax vs Land-Use
According to this article, "... Brazil, a global hub of biodiversity but also currently the world’s largest sugar producer—and in 2019, a national policy change in Brazil allowed the expansion of sugar farming into previously protected ecosystems in the Amazon and elsewhere.
Facing this complicated scenario, the researchers on the new study sought to reconcile the threats and benefits of sugar: they calculated what would happen if sugar cropland that was freed up in the EU by changing appetites was diverted to other uses.
They started with a figure of 75.5%, which is how much the EU would need to reduce its sugar intake to keep it in line with the WHO’s recommendations. Cutting consumption by this much would create a sugar excess of 12.54 Mt each year, representing roughly 1.32 million hectares of farmland, they calculated."
Cigarette Tax
Cigarette Tax
"Tobacco use kills eight million people every year and is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally. Evidence shows that significantly increasing tobacco excise taxes and prices is the single most effective and cost-effective measure for reducing tobacco use. It is also a measure specifically called for in Article 6 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control." - WHO
"WHO has today revealed new information on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing.
Every year the tobacco industry costs the world more than 8 million human lives, 600 million trees, 200 000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water and 84 million tonnes of CO2.
The majority of tobacco is grown in low-and-middle-income countries, where water and farmland are often desperately needed to produce food for the region. Instead, they are being used to grow deadly tobacco plants, while more and more land is being cleared of forests.
The WHO report “Tobacco: Poisoning our planet” highlights that the industry’s carbon footprint from production, processing and transporting tobacco is equivalent to one-fifth of the CO2 produced by the commercial airline industry each year, further contributing to global warming.
“Tobacco products are the most littered item on the planet, containing over 7000 toxic chemicals, which leech into our environment when discarded. Roughly 4.5 trillion cigarette filters pollute our oceans, rivers, city sidewalks, parks, soil and beaches every year,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO.
Products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes also add to the build-up of plastic pollution. Cigarette filters contain microplastics and make up the second-highest form of plastic pollution worldwide.
Despite tobacco industry marketing, there is no evidence that filters have any proven health benefits. WHO calls on policy-makers to treat cigarette filters, as what they are, single use plastics, and consider banning cigarette filters to protect public health and the environment.
The costs of cleaning up littered tobacco products fall on taxpayers, rather than the industry creating the problem. Each year, this costs China roughly US$ 2.6 billion and India roughly US$ 766 million. The cost for Brazil and Germany comes in at over US$ 200 million (see table below for further estimates).
Countries like France and Spain and cities like San Francisco, California in the USA have taken a stand. Following the Polluter Pays Principle, they have successfully implemented “extended producer responsibility legislation” which makes the tobacco industry responsible for clearing up the pollution it creates.
WHO urges countries and cities to follow this example, as well as give support to tobacco farmers to switch to sustainablecrops, implement strong tobacco taxes (that could also include an environmental tax) and offer support services to help people quit tobacco." - WHO
Money Redistribution
Money Redistribution
Negative Income Tax (NIT)
Negative Income Tax (NIT)
"In economics, a negative income tax (NIT) is a system which reverses the direction in which tax is paid for incomes below a certain level; in other words, earners above that level pay money to the state while earners below it receive money, as shown by the blue arrows in the diagram. NIT was proposed by Juliet Rhys-Williams while working on the Beveridge Report in the early 1940s and popularized by Milton Friedman in the 1960s as a system in which the state makes payments to the poor when their income falls below a threshold, while taxing them on income above that threshold. Together with Friedman, supporters of NIT also included James Tobin, Joseph A. Pechman, and Peter M. Mieszkowski, and even then-President Richard Nixon, who suggested implementation of modified NIT in his Family Assistance Plan. After the increase in popularity of NIT, an experiment sponsored by the US government was conducted between 1968 and 1982 on effects of NIT on labour supply, income, and substitution effects.[1]" - Wikipedia: Negative Income Tax
Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Universal Basic Income (UBI)
"Universal basic income (UBI)[note 1] is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a minimum income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment, i.e., without a means test or need to work.[2][3][4]" - Wikipedia: Universal Basic Income
Guaranteed Minimum Income
Guaranteed Minimum Income
"In contrast a guaranteed minimum income is paid only to those who do not already receive an income that is enough to live on. A UBI would be received independently of any other income." - Wikipedia: Universal Basic Income
Full Basic Income
Full Basic Income
"If the level is sufficient to meet a person's basic needs (i.e., at or above the poverty line), it is sometimes called a full basic income; if it is less than that amount, it may be called a partial basic income.[5]" - Wikipedia: Universal Basic Income
Arguments For & Against UBI
Arguments For & Against UBI
"Critics claim that a basic income at an appropriate level for all citizens is not financially feasible, fear that the introduction of a basic income would lead to fewer people working, and/or consider it socially unjust that everyone should receive the same amount of money regardless of their individual need."
"Proponents say it is indeed financeable, arguing that such a system, instead of many individual means-tested social benefits, would eliminate much expensive social administration and bureaucratic efforts, and expect that unattractive jobs would have to be better paid and their working conditions improved because there would have to be an incentive to do them when already receiving an income, which would increase the willingness to work. Advocates also argue that a basic income is fair because it ensures that everyone has a sufficient financial basis to build on and less financial pressure, thus allowing people to find work that suits their interests and strengths.[11]" - Wikipedia: Universal Basic Income
Reparations & Annuities
Reparations & Annuities
Around the world indigenous and human right groups have been calling for colonial governments to repay the damages done over generations of conquest, forced evictions, kidnappings, and enslavement. These financial reimbursement
Australia
Australia
"Australia said ... it will offer payments of 75,000 Australian dollars ($55,000) to some members of its Indigenous population who were forcibly removed from their families as children.
More than 100,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and communities between the early 1900s and about 1970, described by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as a "great stain on our nation's soul" during a formal apology to the so-called 'Stolen Generation' in 2008.
Amid mounting criticism and moves to seek compensation through the courts, Australia said eligible survivors would be entitled to a one-off payment of 75,000 Australian dollars for the harm caused by their forced removal, and a further 7,000 Australian dollars to support their healing."
...
"The reparations will cover people who are still alive and were under 18 and removed from their families while living in the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. Most Australian states have their own compensation schemes." - Australia Pledges Hundreds Millions Reparations to Indigenous Stolen Generation
Canada
Canada
List of First Nations Entitled to Treaty Annuities "First Nations that are entitled to treaty annuity payments, in accordance with the provisions contained in the specific treaty (or other agreement) they have signed."
These payments are generally $4 per person per year up to $5 per year, while others are $5 per person every 2 years.
USA
USA
Iowa
Des Moines
Native American Homeownership Initiative (NAHI) "eligible households may receive up to $15,000 for down payment and closing cost assistance."
For Education
For Education
Grants for Schools & Teachers
Grants for Schools & Teachers
To learn more about funding available for schools, teachers, and educational programs, check out our Grants for Schools & Teachers page.
Invest in Efficiency
Invest in Efficiency
Sometimes you have to spend money to make or save money. Some of the biggest sources of emissions and pollution are also our biggest living costs.
Insulation
Insulation
Heating and cooling are generally the biggest energy users, emitting most of our at-home/non-dietary emissions, while gobbling up a large chunk of cash as our seasons get more intense. By investing in better insulation (for example walls, attics, or multi-paned windows), we drastically reduce our monthly energy needs.
Energy Efficient Appliances
Energy Efficient Appliances
We can reduce both energy and water use by investing in eco-friendly appliances. These can cost a bit more up front, but the long-term benefits include lower future bills and a healthier planet.
Private vs Public
Private vs Public
Private vehicle ownership (cars and pick up trucks for example), are not only a massive waste of resources, and source of pollution, but they're also terrible for your wallet. We're supposed to pay thousands for a the vehicle itself, then yearly maintenance, license fees, insurance, with some places charging extra to drive in certain places and of course our tax money paying for all the damage these vehicles do to our roadways and bridges.
Public transportation on the other hand may charge a fee, but it is generally more efficient (more so when there are more riders and particularly so when public transport is renewably powered), and is almost always more affordable than private vehicle ownership.
Active Transport vs Passive Transport
Active Transport vs Passive Transport
Active transport options including walking, bike riding, skateboarding, canoeing, or any other mode that uses your own energy to move. These have been scientifically linked to better health (mental and physical), money saving for movers/increased spending for areas with safer/slower travel routes, reduced crime, reduced pollution, reduced wear on roadways, and stronger/safer communities.
Passive transport tends to cost more than passive options, cause health problems due to increasing sedentary living habits, and creates higher maintenance fees for surrounding communities, meaning higher taxes. When a fast moving road cuts through a community, this can cause irreparable harm both by physically dividing healthy communities, and by increasing health problems from fumes, collisions, as well as noise and light pollution.
Europe
Europe
Ireland
UK
CarbonFootprint: Solar Schools Offsetting "Sponsor Solar Panels At A UK School With Guaranteed Carbon Offset"
Schools’ Energy Co-operative "installs community funded solar panel systems on schools free of charge as well as paying all its profits to its member schools. As a social enterprise, we are dedicated to supporting our school members and providing an alternative to the prevailing commercial rent a roof or leasing model. Central to this is our aspiration to retain as much as possible of the benefits for the schools, their students and the surrounding communities. We also work with our school members and local community groups to maximise the environmental, educational and community impact of the solar installations."
Offset Emissions
Offset Emissions
Be super cautious about carbon offset scams! Many companies have jumped onto the offset bandwagon without taking the time to ensure their programs are doing more good than harm. There's been a huge lack of oversite in this sector, which has focused heavily on mass reforestation projects which then totally failed, often causing more ecological harm, instead of the promised good.
For this reason, we've tried to focus on finding carbon offset programs that can remove more emissions than trees (such as bog protection and restoration), or which help communities reduce their emissions in ways that they would have otherwise struggled to pay for on their own. For example solar panels for schools with limited funds.
Europe
Europe
Ireland
Irish Peatland Conservation Council: Offset Your Garbon Footprint "Known peatlands only cover about 3% of the world’s land surface, but store at least twice as much carbon as all of Earth’s standing forests. In addition, at least one-third of the world’s organic soil carbon, which plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and stabilizing the carbon cycle, is in peatlands."
UK
CarbonFootprint: Solar Schools Offsetting "Sponsor Solar Panels At A UK School With Guaranteed Carbon Offset"
Schools’ Energy Co-operative "installs community funded solar panel systems on schools free of charge as well as paying all its profits to its member schools. As a social enterprise, we are dedicated to supporting our school members and providing an alternative to the prevailing commercial rent a roof or leasing model. Central to this is our aspiration to retain as much as possible of the benefits for the schools, their students and the surrounding communities. We also work with our school members and local community groups to maximise the environmental, educational and community impact of the solar installations."
Tools & Trackers
Tools & Trackers
Climate Change
Climate Change
En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator "is a fast, powerful climate solutions scenario tool for understanding how we can achieve our climate goals through changes in energy, land use, consumption, agriculture, and other policies. The simulator focuses on how changes in global GDP, energy efficiency, technological innovation, and carbon price influence carbon emissions, global temperature, and other factors. It is designed to provide a synthesis of the best available science on climate solutions and put it at the fingertips of groups in policy workshops and roleplaying games. These experiences enable people to explore the long-term climate impacts of global policy and investment decisions.
En-ROADS is being developed by Climate Interactive, Ventana Systems, UML Climate Change Initiative, and MIT Sloan.
This guide provides background on the dynamics of En-ROADS, tips for using the simulator, general descriptions, real-world examples, slider settings, and model structure notes for the different sliders in En-ROADS."
International
International
Global Energy Ownership Tracker "provides information on the chain of ownership for various energy projects. The data maps each level of the chain from the direct owner (as in, the lowest-level identified owner in the chain of ownership) up to their highest-level ultimate parents (e.g., corporations, investment firms, and governments). Ownership links are reported with the percentage of ownership, including owners that have controlling interest as well as those with minority, non-controlling interests (if over a threshold of 5% ownership)."
Europe
Europe
Airlines
Airlines
Bailout Tracker ✈️ "The Covid-19 crisis has led to a new source of subsidies through bailouts provided to airlines"
Legal Resources
Legal Resources
North America
North America
USA
USA
Organizations
Organizations
International
International
The IMF "is a global organization that works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. The IMF is governed by and accountable to its member countries."
Oil Change International "is a research, communication, and advocacy organization focused on exposing the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitating the coming transition towards clean energy."
Asia
Asia
The Asia Society Policy Institute "works with policymakers, scientists, economists, business leaders, and experts from other fields to enhance the regional and global fight against climate change through accelerating the transition to net zero emissions, carbon pricing, clean energy and climate diplomacy."
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
Make My Money Matter "Our banks and pension funds financially support almost every sector. Lots of them put money into industries like fossil fuels, tobacco, and arms. We’re here to make sure they do better. After all, what’s the point in retiring in a world on fire?"
North America
North America
Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.
Canada
Canada
Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.
USA
USA
Agriculture Fairness Alliance ® "is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit whose mission is to strategically employ lobbyists to accelerate policy changes that make sustainable plant-based food accessible to everyone at a price they can afford, empower communities to develop local plant based agriculture systems, and give farmers tools and strategy to transition from animal ag to plant based farming."
Congress for the New Urbanism The organizational center for the New Urbanist movement, promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.
Lobbyists 4 Good: Help Farmers Transition Away From Animal Agriculture "We will advocate for re-allocating subsidies to help farmers restructure from animal agriculture and toward growing plants intended for human consumption.
Farmers would be supported in transitioning to supplying the country with vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, fungi, and other plant-based crops. The objective isn't to put anyone out of business. Rather, the objective is to provide incentives and support to transition to a food supply chain that is sustainable, healthy, and humane."
Maps
Maps
International
International
Global Energy Ownership Tracker "provides information on the chain of ownership for various energy projects. The data maps each level of the chain from the direct owner (as in, the lowest-level identified owner in the chain of ownership) up to their highest-level ultimate parents (e.g., corporations, investment firms, and governments). Ownership links are reported with the percentage of ownership, including owners that have controlling interest as well as those with minority, non-controlling interests (if over a threshold of 5% ownership)."
The Private Equity Tracker "is part of a multi-organization initiative known as the Private Equity Climate Risks (PECR) project, which investigates the role of the private equity industry in the climate crisis. As a part of this project, GEM analyzes the social and environmental impacts of fossil fuel infrastructure to provide insights on the industry’s role in the climate crisis. GEM collaborates with The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) and Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) in a research consortium to investigate private equity investments in energy companies and related assets. A key aim of this project is to demand better accountability in the private equity industry through reports and other campaign activities, highlighting discrepancies between private equity firms’ publicly stated Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments and their actual investment practices.
The project’s work to date has focused on eight of the largest private equity firms and their involvement in the fossil fuel industry, as summarized in the PECR 2022 Scorecard and Report. "
Grants, Funding, & Reparations
Grants, Funding, & Reparations
International
International
Asia
Asia
Livable Cities: Financing Partnership Facility "The urban operations of ADB benefits from the support of notable trust funds, which are collectively referred to as the Urban Financing Partnership Facility. Under this umbrella, strategic, long-term, multi-partner investments on innovative urban solutions are implemented. These investments help to achieve the vision of livable cities." These include:
Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF) eligible countries include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Vietnam.
North America
North America
Canada
Canada
Oceana
Oceana
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