---
title: "Creating Better Climate Policy: Linking Carbon Taxes to Investments in Clean Energy"
summary: |-
  Climate policy design—be that a carbon tax or not—matters.
date: "2012-11-16"
issues: ["Clean Energy Innovation", "Taxes and Budget"]
authors: ["Matthew Stepp"]
content_type: "Op-Eds & Contributed Articles"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2012/11/16/creating-better-climate-policy-linking-carbon-taxes-investments-clean-energy/"
---

# Creating Better Climate Policy: Linking Carbon Taxes to Investments in Clean Energy

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.

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*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2012/11/16/creating-better-climate-policy-linking-carbon-taxes-investments-clean-energy/*