Global Warming, the carbon tax and the coming carbon tariff

British Columbia has been a leader in establishing climate-change policy, particularly with the creation of the carbon tax. It's a revenue neutral model to try and redistribute a tax on carbon to other parts of the economy and taxpayer, so that there's no net revenue game to government.

But B.C. is having a tougher time implementing the tough, greenhouse gas targets for the economy, as this column shows. Premier Gordon Campbell says that the targets won't likely get put in place until late 2009.

Meanwhile, however, the United States is getting ready for some major moves on the file. A made-in-the-USA carbon-trading system is likely coming and there's probably going to be the creation of what many are calling a carbon tariff. Here's my take on it. It's a likely scenario because Hilary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama have all signaled support for a move to carbon controls in the next administration