Carbon taxes have come up in Congress from time to time, but the fossil fuel industries are much too politically connected. The excuse is usually that if you tax carbon all you do is move the polluters offshore, and since CO2 is a global problem it doesn't solve anything. Global problems need global solutions, but our international treaty systems are insufficient to make progress on this pressing issue.
People still try, Kyoto was a heroic effort, but at the end of the day the incentives to cheat are powerful and thus the level of trust is very low.
People still try, Kyoto was a heroic effort, but at the end of the day the incentives to cheat are powerful and thus the level of trust is very low.