Taxing carbon emissions isn't as simple as it may seem....this was somewhat tackled with the 97 Kyoto Protocol and carbon credits.
Amusingly enough, "voluntary carbon credit market" investors around the world are praising the likes of Al Gore for bringing the global warming issue to the front and center. Not because they want to help the world, but because it made a secondary market for UN issued carbon credits. YOU can buy a carbon credit, and sell it later. Also, Al Gore himself has made millions by trading carbon credits in this same market. Talk about insider trading, the guy is a complete joke.
http://newsbusters.org/node/11149These things have literally become commodities.
Here's how the scheme works. If I own a huge tract of tree-lined land in Brazil (say 50 acres), I offer to sell to an international logging company. I then inform the UN that these negotiations are taking place, and VOILA, I'm issued a sum of carbon credits for no cost for NOT cutting down the trees. I then trade the credits to other companies and make tens of millions of dollars.
Or you could get your entire company funded for a year by choosing a less than desirable emission system, then having a better system funded by the UN via carbon credits. Of course you then by the original system anyways, and find some filters which achieve the same impact. Again, free money.
It's a ridiculous system, but one that is firmly entrenched the world over. Land owners and savvy business owners love the carbon credit system, it is literally free money. The worst offenders are US companies, and the US government.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -wikileaksRead this to better understand the scam that is carbon emissions. These systems aren't always dreamed up to benefit the world, although the tree-hugger and "green" types think otherwise. It's a complete bull scheme. Attempting to tax carbon emissions will, in the end, collect little money due to this system.
It will however create a boom in secondary carbon credit markets.
If anyone wants to buy a tract of land to build a house on in the future (say 2-3 years from now), do so under an LLC/business plan with a future carbon footprint. You can get paid NOT to create the company, but still own the land, and do with it as you please. Never done it myself, but the system is a farce.