Wealthy should pay more eco taxes: EC

The European Commission, together with the UN Environmental Programme, has launched a major new report, Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority Products and Materials, to highlight the need for a radical change in the way in which major economies are using scarce resources.

The 149-page document indicates that nations that have the most impact on the Earth’s well-being should use taxes and other incentives to encourage more eco-friendly agricultural practices and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The report shows that while greater affluence can lead to relatively simple process changes and devices to control local sources of conventional air and water pollution, rising wealth also results in the growth of wider-scale problems such as energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

With regards to carbon dioxide, the EC/UN paper says, ‘A doubling of wealth leads typically to an increase of environmental pressure by 60% to 80%, and in emerging economies this is sometimes even more’.

Issue: 4260 / Categories: News , green taxes