Former U.S. officials and foreign leaders are openly discussing ways to make Americans feel the pain for leaving the Paris climate accord.
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said countries could impose a “border adjustment carbon tax,” or carbon tariff, to penalize U.S.exports for President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris accord.
French ecological minister Nicolas Hulot agreed with the carbon tariff idea, echoing remarks made French President Nicolas Sarkozy during the country’s last election.
“We agree with that,” Hulot said at the “Climate Week” event in New York City on Monday, according to The New Republic. “The Paris agreement is not only a piece of paper where 170 states put their signature. It’s a promise to our children, and we cannot lie to our children.”
“We must always say the Paris agreement is negotiable and irreversible,” Hulot said. “That’s the first step.”
The Paris accord’s emissions targets are non-binding, but there’s an ongoing argument over whether the targets submitted by President Barack Obama can be revised. Trump could submit a lower pledge, but he can’t be punished for not meeting them.
At least not punished by the agreement.
The Paris accord relies on political pressure to keep countries on track to meet their pledges to fight global warming, but France wants to convince other Paris signatories to impose economic sanctions against countries that don’t go along.
“We are going to need a system where you are rewarded for cooperation, and penalized for not cooperating,” said Summers, who served as President Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary.
Calls for retaliatory carbon taxes come after the White House spent the weekend debunking reports they would not withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday the Trump administration was laying the groundwork to remain in the Paris accord, which the Obama administration joined in 2016. The Journal cited a recent presentation Trump officials gave to foreign officials.
The White House rebuked WSJ’s report, calling it “fake news.” Trump promised to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris accord in June, leaving the door open for renegotiation for terms more favorable to American workers.
“We are withdrawing, and we made that as clear as it can be. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly,” White House economic adviser Gary Cohn told energy ministers at a Monday meeting in New York City.
The WSJ walked back its reporting, but the speculation over Trump’s commitment to his campaign promise to leave the Paris accord.
Read more at Daily Caller
Antifa needs to be totaly destroyed and that means going after those who are financing them and cut off their flow of money its time to go for the juggular
It is sad that Americans are advocating action to harm America.
These people also are not very smart. We already have trade agreements with France and others. Any carbon tariff would require renegotiating these treaties.
I thought the same. Partisan politics tramples main street.
So they want to punish the USA for pulling out of a non binding agreement with no attainable goals? LOL…
Trump should put a tariff on white flags of surrender, Frances only real export.
France does accel at one thing . SURRENDER . Charge a tax on the basis of an overblown fraud to a country that regularly saves your ass .
Really ?
Next time who are they going to call ?
The French generally make great food but international relations not so great .
The WSJ decision to go tabloid is unfortunate but a sign they are going down . Whipping up fake news is a sign of desperation .
At one if some entered “French Military Victors” in a Google search; it would ask if you meant “French Military Defeats”.
Fake news sorts out the suckers .
The yapping little french poodle needs to be muzzled and eaten by a rotwieler