Re: theWatt Podcast 77

"Ben, your CAPTCHAs are killin' me!"

Hrm, sorry, I'll try a simpler one. I had a bad case of spam for a while but I think it's mostly over with.

Another thing about the CAFE standards, they are ineffective for many many reasons: There are so many loopholes (ex: flex fuel vehicles being given much lower standards and classifying cars like the Subaru Outlback as a truck to avoid CAFE). Not to mention the fact that the new 35mpg CAFE standard (changed in 2007 energy bill) will start in the year 2020.

Basically what it comes down to is we have to find an effective way of changing people's habits. I suppose if we talk about taxes we should also talk about price elasticity as well. Gasoline is fairly price inelastic because people will always have to drive to get to work, but there will come a point when, if the tax is high enough, it will be effective in getting people to purchase more efficient cars or take public transport. One reason why I like taxes is because it's possible to make them revenue neutral, essentially this maintains the purchasing power of the individual but makes some things (which we deem bad) a larger portion of a persons budget. This is what's going on with the carbon tax in British Columbia (Canada) right now (they compensate for the carbon tax by reducing income taxes proportionately).

I agree that personal education will by far give the best results. It's quite difficult though. I guess this is what Al Gore is trying to do.