Window Open for Tax Measures to Curb Climate Change

A landmark meeting on curbing climate change didn't do much to address the role that tax measures might play, but financial-climate consultants and academics still think they can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The COP26 conference agreed on long-awaited rules for global emissions trading markets, one key form of carbon pricing meant to help provide financial incentives for reducing emissions. But carbon taxes—direct levies that increase the price of carbon fuels or the emissions that result from them—weren't dealt with in that agreement. And with the U.S. Congress also not taking action on carbon taxes, some advocates are concerned an opportunity to slow climate change with aggressive policies are falling out of reach. There are still ways taxes could make a difference in the climate arena, however. On this week's episode of Talking Tax, Frank Eich, an economist with U.K. consultancy CRU, spoke to Bloomberg Tax's Michael Rapoport about the COP26 developments and the future of carbon taxes. And Sanjay Patnaik, director of the Brookings Institution's Center on Regulations and Markets, spoke to Bloomberg Tax's David Hood about what's happening in the U.S. Have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.