The Democratic Party added a carbon tax to a plank on its party platform Tuesday, addressing so-called man-made global warming, despite warnings from one of the party’s wealthiest benefactors.
“Democrats believe that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases should be priced to reflect their negative externalities, and to accelerate the transition to a clean economy and help meet out climate goals,” the Democratic Party platform now reads.
The section on the carbon tax continues: “Democrats believe that climate change is too important to wait for climate deniers and defeatists in Congress to start listening to science, and support using every tool available to reduce emissions now.”
The carbon tax is a smack in the face to environmentalist billionaire Tom Steyer, who has issued warnings in the past that a carbon tax is too much of a wedge issue for Democrats.
In an interview with ClimateWire Monday, the former hedge fund manager said swapping the Clean Power Plan for a carbon tax is essentially a death knell for Democrats in states heavily tied to natural gas development.
“That’s a huge wedge issue,” Steyer said of a carbon tax. “I think it’s a critical issue as to whether they turn out.”
