I read in the paper today that:"The Eddington report highlights the importance of reflecting the external costs of transport in the price paid by users, whether this be for congestion or environmental impacts."
It suggested that travellers, by whatever means they move, should pay the real cost, in environmental terms, to combat global warming.
He says that cars, planes, trains and so on must be charged for their relative emissions of carbon, their relative contributions to climate change.
As the Times put it: "all modes of transport should pay their full environmental costs, including compensating for their contribution to climate change."
So, high polluting forms of transport become more expensive than others.
Much of the transport in this country is to move goods from one place to another. So, should we reinvest in the waterways network; employ thousands of porters to shift millions of items from port to warehouse via public transport?
The increase penalties charged to move goods either inwards or outwards will be passed on to the end consumer ~ that's you and me!
My question is, no matter how much more money I pay, or you pay, I fail to understand how is this will combat, or as the article has it, "compensate" for global warming?
4 comments:
Prsumably it is meant to act as a deterrent - the hope being that rather than pay the increased chargs they will find alternative means of transport... But, as you say, is that likely... No...
My greatest confusion is, how my paying more money to the government in any way "compensates' for global warming. I already pay road tax and fuel tax, the latter directly related to distance travelled, and now another tax? I would be encouraged if there were any evidence that the money raised did anyting at all to 'compensate' for global warming.
Or that manufacturers will modify the modes of transport they produce to be more environmentally friendly and hence escape the 'green' charges?? Hmmmm! Unlikely!
This is the current nonsense that our government continues to peddle. Instead of looking at solving a problem, the answer is always charge more. The same way that parking fines were introduced to help improve roads and transport. Now they just feed local council coffers. There is absolutely no interest in reducing speeding or illegal parking as these offenses are needed to keep the revenue coming. The people who work within the law are the easy ones to penalise with fines. There seems to be little to no political will to actually deal with global warming and in the US...well don't get me started. A cup of Kyoto anyone?
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