Addressing Climate Change: Have the Political Winds Shifted in Favor of a Carbon Tax?

Policymaking to combat climate change has been almost nonexistent despite the scientific community’s consensus that the time to act is now. Regardless, climate change remains a volatile political issue that divides our nation and its legislators. Advocates of reducing carbon emissions have traditionally endorsed several tools available to policymakers and administrative agencies in order to curb climate change: rulemaking under the Clean Air Act, capand-trade, and carbon taxes. Carbon tax legislation has gained traction after endorsements from both sides of the political aisle, and because it could be used to raise funds to reduce the United States’ deficit.

Even policymakers that categorically refuse to raise taxes may be willing to introduce a carbon tax if it is coupled with tax reductions elsewhere. This Article considers these traditional options for reducing carbon emissions and argues that recent political rhetoric seems to set the stage for passing a carbon tax where passage was once believed to be impossible.