The New York Times reported today that French President Jacques Chirac has demanded that the United States sign both the Kyoto climate protocol and a future agreement that will take effect when the Kyoto accord runs out in 2012.

According to The Times, Chirac warned that if the United States did not sign the agreements, a carbon tax across Europe on imports from nations that have not signed the Kyoto treaty could be imposed to try to force compliance. The European Union is the largest export market for American goods.

“A carbon tax is inevitable,” Mr. Chirac said.  “If it is European, and I believe it will be European, then it will all the same have a certain influence because it means that all the countries that do not accept the minimum obligations will be obliged to pay.”

French officials have recently floated the idea of imposing carbon-equivalent tariffs on imports from countries that do not tax or otherwise regulate carbon emissions. These tariffs would help level the playing field for early adopters of carbon controls.

"Humankind’s failure to pay for damaging the environment is the "biggest market failure ever seen," declared Sir Nicholas Stern, the author of last year’s groundbreaking report on climate change and former adviser to Tony Blair.

Sir Nicholas called for higher taxes on fuel to combat environmental damage yesterday at a summit of business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

As reported by The Guardian (U.K.), the issue of global climate change dominated the agenda of the first day of the
World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.

Making the environment pay is one of 17 sessions focusing on climate
change this week. According to The Guardian, a majority of attendees at a standing room-only
session yesterday backed Sir Nicholas’s contention that carbon taxes
were a force for good and twice as many of the high-level attendees
said environmental protection should be a priority for world leaders as
did a year ago.

Charles and I created the Carbon Tax Center because prompt and effective action to reduce carbon emissions is imperative to slow and then stop the world from hurtling towards a climate disaster. We are convinced that a carbon tax is essential to reduce U.S. emissions quickly and steeply enough to prevent atmospheric concentrations of CO2 from reaching an irreversible tipping point. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration is doing practically nothing and most of the proposals for action do not go far enough. We want CTC to serve the climate advocacy community. Please tell us what you think about our web site, what you like, what you want to change, etc. We’ll listen and respond.

Here’s a sampling of e-mails to info@carbontax.org since our launch yesterday.

Keep those cards and letters coming. Even better, comment here, on this blog. Please also add a link to CTC on your Web site. Tell your friends and neighbors.

And feel free to donate. Already received: 6 contributions totaling $500. We’re thrilled and grateful.

— Dan and Charles

Great idea. I like your FAQs addressing the various issues. It’s about time someone did this! — (veteran energy policy analyst)

You can count on me to promote the idea whenever and wherever I get the chance because it’s the right way to go on this important issue. (economist, author, educator)

Nice work! Better late than…. But it may be too…. (longtime sustainability writer-activist)

This new clearinghouse for information on Carbon Tax is great. I’ll pass this on to the authors I am working with in environmental studies. (editor)

Site looks great! I think it will make a big impact. (a friend)

Dear global warming activists: great news below! Please forward this to your friends and lists, and spread the word. (climate activist)

Sounds intriguing. Please keep us in the loop. (CEO of an international environmental policy org.)

Good luck! I posted this on The Oil Drum. (eco-activist, Peak Oil-er)

My instinct has always been that imposing a tax on carbon is a better way to go than the cap-and-trade approach simply because it would force all actors to reduce their emissions no matter how efficient or inefficient they presently are and we need all the reductions we can get if we hope to arrest the worst case scenarios. (CEO of a grassroots enviro org)

The site looks good. Like the name of the newsletter vis a vis Al G. Signed up. Good luck! (family member)

Congratulations on your new carbon-tax group! I signed up for your email. I think the time is right for a c-tax. (author)

Good for you. The debate is needed. (founder of a major sustainability org.)

Your proposal, it seems to me, is the very sort of thing we need more of — and the very sort of thing that any number of well-heeled, self-styled “greens” would like to avoid (e.g., let’s stick a wind tower in Podunk and let’s drive our SUV out to take photos of it). (writer)

This is really a great contribution to the dialog. I especially like your assertion of how a CT is better than cap and trade. That really deserves its own slide show.  (Solar-photovoltaic and energy-efficiency entrepreneur)

Congratulations. This is a noble effort. (cycling and livable cities advocate)

Interesting, and even elegant site…I am freezing on behalf of the cause, etc. (writer)