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See Debatepedia's resources for the Spring 2010 The People Speak Global Debates on climate change adaptation
Argument: A carbon tax adds a clear cost to pollution that incentivizes reductions
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Supporting quotations
Chicago Tribune Editorial Board Member Steve Chapman. "Saving the Earth Sensibly". Chicago Tribune. 12 Apr. 2007: "The free market is the best system ever created for providing what we want at the lowest possible cost. The way to get affordable amelioration of climate change is to put the market to work finding solutions. To achieve that, we merely need to make energy prices reflect the potential harm done by greenhouse gases. How? With a carbon tax that assesses fuels according to how much they pollute. Coal, having the highest carbon content, would be taxed the most, followed by oil and natural gas. The higher prices for the most damaging fuels would encourage people and companies to use them less and more of other types of energy, including nuclear, solar, wind and biofuels. This approach also would affect all sources — not just cars, which account for only one-fifth of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions."
