All pain, no gain?

The issue of global warming has attracted much attention over the past decade. CEI analysts such as Marlo Lewis have argued that regulations aimed at greenhouse gases tend to be all economic pain and no environmental gain, costing the economy trillions while having little effect on greenhouse gases (much less overall climate change).

The public also seems to be skeptical of imposing taxes on activities that result in greenhouse gas emissions. In a poll by the Washington Post Express newspaper (the version of the Washington Post distributed free to Metrorail commuters) found that even among this relatively pro-regulation demographic (which includes people who work at government regulatory agencies), 75 percent of respondents said that they would not be willing to “pay a tax to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.”

The results of the poll are reprinted on pg. 36 of the February 28 edition of the Express. Some reader comments can be found at the following link.