Dear Conservatives,
Would you agree that environmentalists' own policies are their own worst enemy?
In a recent article over at Forbes I make the case there are two examples that help demonstrate this simple truth. The first comes from Australia, which recently decided to abandon its carbon tax after an outpouring of public opposition.
Enacted in 2012 by the Australian
government, the carbon tax lead to a 15% increase in household
electricity prices and a 10% increase in Australia’s unemployment.
And yet, while having this immediate pain
inflicted upon them, Australian’s learned their carbon dioxide levels
weren’t expected to drop until 2045.
It should come as no surprise that the
voters quickly acted forcing out the party that enacted the tax and
voting in a new majority that would end the tax.
The second is a new public
opinion poll, commissioned and released by AEA, in which American voters
in key states reacted to the economic and environmental effects that
may follow from mandates similar to the EPA’s power plant regulation.