An area of California has introduced the first comprehensive carbon tax in America – 17 years after Sweden became the first country to impose a carbon levy.
The nine states of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in San Francisco voted by 15 to1 for the charge – 4.4 cents per tonne of CO2. About 2,500 businesses are affected, with the vast majority paying very little, around $1. Seven power plants and refineries in the area will be subject to charges of around $200,000 a year, but vehicle use – estimated by BAAQMD to account for half of CO2 emissions – is not part of the scheme.
Companies must submit carbon footprint information as part of the process, and this move is interesting as California leads the rest of the US on environmental matters. Certainly this would appear to open the way for a federal carbon tax at some time in the future, as the Swedes have had since 1991.
The move follows an editorial in the influential LA Times last year, which called for a policy of carbon taxation as the best way to tackle environmental concerns world-wide, based on emissions.
Meanwhile FIRA’s Furniture Footprinter, launched last month, continues to elicit strong interest, with the first clients having signed up. A case study will appear on these pages soon showing what is involved and how one business has worked with FIRA to use the online tool.
An area of California has introduced the first comprehensive carbon tax in America – 17 years after Sweden became the first country to impose a carbon levy.