Hi

As you all know there has been a lot of talk about the changing climate lately and changing weather. In Norway there is more and more talk about paying a climate tax when you travel by plane but at the moment this is not a mandatory tax and hence you have to take action yourself to pay this. There is a bit of information about this here http://www.myclimate.org/index.php?lang=en and here you can calculate how much the tax will be based on the flight duration and length. Does anyone here pay this climate tax? I'm wondering if I should in connection with a trip to Thailand in May.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

No, I don't. But I encourage all global warming cheerleaders to pay it with the proceeds from the sale of SUVs and 6000+SF Houses.

I would love to hear some useful answers to this sincere question instead of snide and sneering soundbites from people who want to bash those concerned about climate change. I am interested in carbon offsets but still need convincing that they really do offset the carbon emissions from airplane flights. I have read that programs that invest in solar panels for developing countries - for example helping people cut down on their use of coal in the home are a better way to go than the tree planting offset programs.

kpie, I may be snide, but I invest in alternative energy companies and have downsized to include a smaller home and car. I get tired of all the big talk from guys like al gore and then see them living large!

NorthShore...would you rather Al Gore "live small" and not say anything?

NorthShore,
Gore actually donates quite a bit of time and money to green energy programs that offset his (and your) carbon emissions. It seems that a lot of people rag on him for all the travel he does. But it's important to take into account that a lot of this travel has helped him deliver the climate change message and as a result has made a lot of people realize that they need to take steps to conserve on current energy and convert to green energy. So a couple extra hundred pounds of CO2 from someone who is convincing people to cut down on SEVERAL BILLION TONS is a small price to pay.
BTW, I'm very impressed that you have taken great steps to contribute to reducing your CO2 footprint. Keep up the good work!

Gore is just a tired old POL who craves attention. I don't think he really believes any of it, its all designed to capture an audience and a following again. Singing to the choir!

He does more harm than good since this global warming Hype is getting out of control and turning too many people off. People are starting to make fun of his blaming so many ills on global warming.

"Gore is just a tired old POL who craves attention."

Face it. If Gore was a republican you'd be singing a different tune.

"this global warming Hype is getting out of control and turning too many people off."

Does this mean you are a skeptic? You were just bragging about how you were helping fight emissions.
And don't blame increased awareness of climate change for skeptisim. Blame the conservative movement who are just following the lead of the fossil fuel industry. As they feel the pressure of the green movement they pump out more fake doubt to the public. For example, the American Enterprise Institute who offered $10K grants to any scientists who would say climate change does not exist. They are just buying opinions to confuse people.

heeny, you get pretty intense. Calm down and you can think clear.

No, I don't buy into ALL the global warming hype. The earth has warmed and cooled for millions of years. Its fashionable to wax long and hard, but it's too early to tell exactly how big an impact man has on climate extremes.

I'm not bragging, just stating facts. It is my personal choice to consume less. i'm not wild and crazy about it, nor am I smug and self-satisfied. We all can and should do more to conserve the earth's precious resources.

Why are TAXES always hailed as a remedy?

Gard,

I haven't heard anything about myclimate before. Basically, the "tax" is a donation to their organization. Before paying any "taxes" to them, I would suggest researching them fully. Make sure they are doing what they say AND that you agree with what they are doing.

If they don't meet your satisfaction, you can always donate the "tax" amount to an organization that you do approve of. There's definitely nothing wrong to donating to a cause you feel is worthwhile.

I'm with Carrybean: Climate change is caused by too low taxation?

Gee, guess we're safe where I live.

Gard, I think you need to process some of these ideas a bit further.

To wit:

The tax is to increase with flight duration and length?

Tell me: which phase of flight consumes the most fuel per minute: the takeoff and landing, or the point at which the aircraft reaches cruising altitude?

Which flights spend the greatest proportion of time at cruising altitude - short or long? (hint: on flights between the Hawaiian islands, they never reach cruising altitude.)

Who most needs to use air travel; shoppers (and bureaucrats from Brussels) zipping between closely spaced urban centres like Paris and London, or the residents of remote settlements in say, Nunavut that depend on air shipments (not to mention medevac flights out).

Taxes also impose an environmental toll of their own. You might want to assess the paper and energy consumption of any country's revenue department sometime.

In short, cutting the baking time of an idea in half can be justified by the fuel consumption savings