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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Carbon taxes that focus on luxury consumption are fairer than those that   
   tax all emissions equally    
      
     Date:   
         July 11, 2023   
     Source:   
         Cell Press   
     Summary:   
         Not all carbon emissions are made for the same reason -- they range   
         from more essential purposes like heating a home to nonessential   
         'luxury' activities like leisure travel. However, proposals for the   
         implementations of carbon taxes tend to apply to all emissions at   
         an equal rate. This can give rise to and exacerbate inequalities. A   
         new analysis suggests taxing luxury carbon emissions at a higher   
         rate instead; if all 88 countries analyzed in this study adopted   
         the luxury- focused policy, this would achieve 75% of the emissions   
         reduction needed to reach the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting   
         climate change to well below 2DEGC by 2050.   
      
      
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   Not all carbon emissions are made for the same reason -- they range from   
   more essential purposes like heating a home to nonessential "luxury"   
   activities like leisure travel. However, proposals for the implementations   
   of carbon taxes tend to apply to all emissions at an equal rate. This   
   can give rise to and exacerbate inequalities. A new analysis published   
   on July 11 in the journal One Earth suggests taxing luxury carbon   
   emissions at a higher rate instead; if all 88 countries analyzed in   
   this study adopted the luxury-focused policy, this would achieve 75%   
   of the emissions reduction needed to reach the Paris Agreement's goal   
   of limiting climate change to well below 2DEGC by 2050.   
      
   "There is an injustice in terms of who uses energy, or carbon, for basic   
   or luxury purposes, but it hasn't been translated into explicit policy   
   yet," says Yannick Oswald, an economist at the University of Leeds. "In   
   this study, we test policies derived from this knowledge for the first   
   time."  Several countries -- such as Canada and Mexico -- have active   
   carbon pricing policies. These policies either price all emissions at an   
   equal rate or target one type of emission, such as heat or fuel. However,   
   past research has shown that, in high-income countries, these policies   
   tend to affect low-income households the most while failing to have   
   a large impact on emissions. This might be because resources such as   
   heat or fuel make up a greater portion of low-income spending and are   
   difficult to do without.   
      
   To test the impact of a tax program that distinguishes between carbon   
   emissions from basic or luxury activities, the researchers built a model   
   based on household carbon footprints from 88 different countries. For   
   each country, they designed a tax rate for different types of purchases,   
   ensuring activities that make up a greater proportion of low-income   
   spending would be taxed less relative to activities that make up a   
   greater proportion of high-income spending. In the US, for example,   
   vacation travel would be taxed at a higher rate than heating.   
      
   They used this model to test the outcome of either their luxury carbon   
   tax rates or a uniform carbon tax rate. Under a uniform tax rate, 37%   
   of global carbon tax revenue would come from luxury purchases. This   
   increases to 52% under a luxury-focused tax program.   
      
   Not only was the luxury tax "fairer" based on household income --   
   affecting low-income households less and high-income households more --   
   it also was slightly better at reducing yearly household emissions in   
   the very short-term.   
      
   The researchers note that this might be because it is more feasible to   
   forgo luxury purchases than an essential purchase if the price increases.   
      
   While the luxury tax proved fairer in all countries studied, the   
   researchers found that, in low-income countries, a uniform tax could   
   also be fair. In South Africa, for example, low-income households already   
   spend much less on fuel or heating than high-income households. Thus, a   
   uniform carbon tax is already targeting high-income groups by design. In   
   contrast, the luxury carbon tax is most beneficial in terms of fairness   
   when applied to high-income countries.   
      
   This tax can better account for flexible, nonessential purchases   
   in countries like the United States, where it is difficult to avoid   
   carbon-emitting activities like driving a car in a low-income lifestyle.   
      
   While this type of policy could make significant progress towards reducing   
   global emissions, the researchers also note that this goal might be   
   difficult to achieve in practice. Few countries have a carbon tax scheme   
   that is currently this rigorous. Luxury-focused carbon taxation also   
   targets high- income groups, which may be the most equipped to lobby   
   against such a policy going into effect.   
      
   "Global support by the public for fair climate policies is high, and   
   it is likely that luxury-focused carbon taxes are similarly popular,"   
   says Oswald.   
      
   "Despite the model's limitations, the big takeaway is this: when designing   
   climate policies, it is possible to pay attention to the different nature   
   of consumption purposes, and this would improve the fairness of climate   
   policy almost by default."   
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   Story Source: Materials provided by Cell_Press. Note: Content may be   
   edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Yannick Oswald, Joel Millward-Hopkins, Julia K. Steinberger,   
      Anne Owen,   
         Diana Ivanova. Luxury-focused carbon taxation improves fairness of   
         climate policy. One Earth, 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.05.027   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230711133113.htm   
      
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