[Terrapreta] Fw: a tiny outburst of common sense

Kevin Chisholm kchisholm at ca.inter.net
Wed Dec 19 12:18:45 CST 2007


Dear Sean

Lets explore Gerrits concept further... taxing people for rectifying the 
damage they have done.

There are two elements here:
1: The cost of teh damage
2: The cost required to clean up the C to prevent future damage.

Say we consider 1.00 Tonne of pure C that is perfectly burned to CO2.
1: How much damage will it do?
2: What will it cost to remove 1.00 tonnes of C from the Biosphere?
3: What would the the various profits and administrative fees associated 
with running such a program?

Best wishes,

Kevin
Sean K. Barry wrote:
> Hi Gerrit,
>  
> No, you have a perfectly simple and workable idea, I think.  I agree 
> with you 100%.  It would called a "fossil carbon tax", used to pay for 
> cleaning up the fossil carbon from the atmosphere.  I don't know why 
> there is resistance to this idea?  It might not be as high as $0.15 
> per gallon or high enough at that, but the principal is still the 
> same.  If we tax the suppliers, then they will pass the cost on to the 
> consumers.
> Suppliers are fewer to monitor.
>  
> Regards,
>  
> SKB
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Gerald Van Koeverden <mailto:vnkvrdn at yahoo.ca>
>     *To:* jimstoy at dtccom.net <mailto:jimstoy at dtccom.net>
>     *Cc:* Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
>     <mailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     *Sent:* Tuesday, December 18, 2007 8:07 AM
>     *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] Fw: a tiny outburst of common sense
>
>     the simplest way of dealing with fossil carbon is merely to charge 
>     the users by how much it costs us to rectify the damage they are 
>     doing, no?
>
>     thus if it costs us $.15 to neutralize the CO2 effect for each
>     gallon 
>     of gas, then that much should be charged extra and should be paid to 
>     somebody who does the job...
>
>     is this too simple?
>
>
>     On 18-Dec-07, at 8:40 AM, jimstoy at dtccom.net
>     <mailto:jimstoy at dtccom.net> wrote:
>
>     > Sean,
>     >
>     >> Hi Jim,
>     >>
>     >> Are you using an axiomatic basis for your argument?  Presuming 
>     >> that taxing
>     >> fossil carbon resources is a bad thing is the first premise of
>     energy
>     >> suppliers in the current time frame.  You suggest suppliers will 
>     >> become
>     >> criminals or involve themselves in criminal activities, if
>     taxes are
>     >> levied.  Prohibiting oil would not work any better, as you 
>     >> suggest, liking
>     >> it to illegal drugs, as this would also create illegal black 
>     >> markets, you
>     >> say.
>     >
>     > No, that's not quite what I said. I meant something more
>     general, that
>     > putting a gun to the market's head (including taxes) rarely solves
>     > anything. And further, the problems we have (the ones you want to
>     > overcome) are the outcomes of such forceful acts already in palce. 
>     > They
>     > have created the monopolies that you rail against and badly 
>     > distorted the
>     > voluntary actions of market players.
>     >
>     > I only used an example of what might happen, not an argument for 
>     > what will
>     > or won't happen.
>     >
>     > Convincing our fellow beings is always better than commanding
>     them. 
>     > One
>     > cannot always predict the outcome of commands.
>     >
>     > My point about logic would be that if one uses the right set of
>     > assumptions, one can "prove" just about anything. Verily, you
>     can only
>     > assume the market will follow your logic. There are simply too many
>     > variables to contain. There is also the problem of unintended
>     > consequences. Look at the world around you and the laws created to 
>     > solve
>     > its problems. Then, tell me that there is any great probability 
>     > that new
>     > laws will do any better than the old ones, the ones that brought
>     to 
>     > where
>     > we are.
>     >
>     > Seems to me, trying to legislate solutions is more chest beating
>     than
>     > creative problem solving.
>     >
>     > Jim
>     >>
>     >> My use of the logic does not require that same pre-supposed 
>     >> premise.  My
>     >> premise is "Supplying fossil carbon fuels leads to the
>     consumption of
>     >> fossil carbon fuels and the consequent emissions problems".  
>     >> Logically
>     >> following this premise, then and trivially, stopping emissions 
>     >> requires
>     >> stopping consumption of (and emissions from) fossil carbon fuels 
>     >> (MT -
>     >> modus tollens, denying the consequent).
>     >>
>     >> Or, my preferred illogic to apply here (denying the antecedent, a
>     >> beautiful fallacy to use against corporate monopolies), disrupt 
>     >> supplies
>     >> of fossil carbon fuel into the economy, by using market forces, 
>     >> and price
>     >> it out of the market.  Then, the consequence of the other 
>     >> inference, "If
>     >> the price + tax is too high, then suppliers cannot always sell
>     fossil
>     >> carbon resources", can be confirmed by a some what weakened 
>     >> validity (MP -
>     >> modus ponens, affirming the antecedent).
>     >>
>     >> In turn, the inference "Supplying an X energy resource (without CO2
>     >> emissions, and at a non-taxed price) will lead to more
>     consumption 
>     >> of the
>     >> X energy resource and NO CO2 emissions", will become the new 
>     >> operating
>     >> premise.  We can go on with suppliers using our weak abduction 
>     >> fallacy
>     >> (affirming the antecedent - different antecedent, different 
>     >> consequent),
>     >> just like they try to delude us with their (affirming the
>     consequent)
>     >> fallacy to consumers.
>     >>
>     >> We've changed the paradigm by using another valid logic argument, a
>     >> (disjunctive syllogism).  Either fossil carbon fuels are used, or 
>     >> some
>     >> other non-fossil or non-carbon fuels will used.  When the use and 
>     >> sale of
>     >> fossil carbon fuels are prohibited (and/or they are taxed and made
>     >> otherwise more expensive), then, therefore, the other no-fossil 
>     >> carbon and
>     >> non-carbon energy resources will be used instead.
>     >>
>     >> Global World Business already uses logical fallacy to operate
>     on the
>     >> consuming public.  Competition and good marketing skills demands 
>     >> this.
>     >> "Taxes are only unfair to businesses!!!" is another fallacy they 
>     >> ruse,
>     >> concocted to hide the fact that they would pass on any economic 
>     >> pain to
>     >> consumers in a heartbeat.
>     >>
>     >> I think if we taxed fossil carbon suppliers now and diverted the 
>     >> revenues
>     >> to the development of non-fossil carbon and non-carbon energy 
>     >> resources,
>     >> then we have a chance to make the kinds of changes we need to 
>     >> make, and to
>     >> finance it equitably on the market force we want to diminish the 
>     >> most,
>     >> consumption.  Do you see that? ... Tax the suppliers to reduce
>     >> consumption, or is that reduce consumption by taxing the 
>     >> suppliers, who
>     >> increase the price to consumers.  Either way, it is still a valid
>     >> argument.  If supply leads to consumption, then all we can only 
>     >> logically
>     >> say is that to reduce consumption, we have to reduce
>     consumption.  
>     >> One way
>     >> we can operate this logical assertion is by raising the price
>     of the
>     >> supply (because reduced consumption will follow).
>     >>
>     >> Regards,
>     >>
>     >> SKB
>     >>
>     >>   ----- Original Message -----
>     >>   From: jimstoy at dtccom.net<mailto:jimstoy at dtccom.net
>     <mailto:jimstoy at dtccom.net%3Cmailto:jimstoy at dtccom.net>>
>     >>   To: terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     >>   Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 9:02 AM
>     >>   Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Fw: a tiny outburst of common sense
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>   Sean,
>     >>
>     >>   I think we should be careful not to blame logic or a particular 
>     >> kind of
>     >>   logic for the problem or even to expect that logic will provide a
>     >>   solution.
>     >>
>     >>   For the most part, people are logical. I find it rare that any 
>     >> one is
>     >>   illogical. Two reasons: 1) people rarely use logic and, 2) when 
>     >> they use
>     >>   logic they use it, well, logically.
>     >>
>     >>   No, the problem is always with the premises, the assumptions we 
>     >> start
>     >>   with. Unfortunately, assumptions are usually based on our egos 
>     >> (who we
>     >>   think we are) and are rarely arguable in any real sense.
>     >>
>     >>   Laws are usually the worst kind of solutions as they simply 
>     >> represent
>     >> the
>     >>   institutionalized for of force (or violence). Lawa typically 
>     >> create more
>     >>   and larger problems. Laws just become the tool of the most
>     powerful
>     >> egos.
>     >>   E.G., your solution of "taxing the shit out of . . . fossil
>     fuel 
>     >> supply"
>     >>   would simply create a black market - granting a legal monopoly 
>     >> to least
>     >>   controllable elements of society, essentially, removing all
>     social
>     >> control
>     >>   --  very much like making drugs illegal (notice how well that has
>     >> worked).
>     >>
>     >>   Jim
>     >>
>     >>   If we truly understand the problem, we already have the 
>     >> solution. If we
>     >>   are truly aware, we find that the problem never existed.
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>> Maybe we should consider creating the business of "Eliminating 
>     >>> Fossil
>     >>> Carbon Fuel Consumption", and use the logic of eliminating (or 
>     >>> taxing
>     >> the
>     >>> shit out of) fossil fuel supply, in order to rid the world of 
>     >>> noxious
>     >>> carbon dioxide pollution?
>     >>>
>     >>>
>     >>> "The government's climate change policy works like this: extract 
>     >>> every
>     >>> last drop of fossil fuel then pray to God that no one uses it."
>     >>>
>     >>> Regards,
>     >>>
>     >>> SKB
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>   _______________________________________________
>     >>   Terrapreta mailing list
>     >>  
>     Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
>     <mailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org%3Cmailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>>
>     >>   http://bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/
>     >> terrapreta_bioenergylists.org<http://bioenergylists.org/mailman/
>     >> listinfo/terrapreta_bioenergylists.org>
>     >>   http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org<http://
>     <http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org%3Chttp://>
>     >> terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/>
>     >>  
>     http://info.bioenergylists.org<http://info.bioenergylists.org/
>     <http://info.bioenergylists.org%3Chttp://info.bioenergylists.org/>>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     > _______________________________________________
>     > Terrapreta mailing list
>     > Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org <mailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     > http://bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/
>     > terrapreta_bioenergylists.org
>     > http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
>     > http://info.bioenergylists.org
>
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     Terrapreta mailing list
>     Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org <mailto:Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
>     http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
>     http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
>     http://info.bioenergylists.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Terrapreta mailing list
> Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
> http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
> http://info.bioenergylists.org





More information about the Terrapreta mailing list