Climate policy is all about public investments in clean energy. A carbon tax is one way (but not the only way) of facilitating a dedicated revenue stream for those investments. It’s important not to lose this fundamental policy goal in any climate policy debate. Ultimately, though, it depends on that the actual goal of a carbon tax is. If it’s to address climate change, then a carbon tax tied to public investments is a much more robust and high impact policy solution than one without. Climate policy design—be that a carbon tax or not—matters.
