I've been looking at the progress of AGW for many years and it's predictions match what we see in the context of our complex and inherently variable global weather system.
This modest carbon tax is a small step in the right direction and yes we will be assisting the poorest nations over time. This will still leave room for us to substantially grow our economy over the medium term. Long term there will be a shift away from fossil fuels and this is one of the reasons for the current paranoia. However it is a long term shift with demand for coal falling first, followed by oil and gas last. Starting now gives us a head start with the structural adjustments we need to make.
I come back to my point that this is a modest tax, evenly spread because we all own the problem of fossil carbon pollution. The actual payment of the tax is by a very small percentage of businesses and these businesses are the ones who are actually pouring the greatest amounts of pollution into the air. However we will all pay for the flow on cost rises so we will all have an incentive to ameliorate our direct and indirect contributions to fossil fuel pollution.
