Community | April 10, 2010 | 5 comments

Analysis: Strong carbon cap would cut Iran’s petrodollars by over $100 million a day

source: http://climateprogress.org/2010/04/10/iran-carbon-cap-oil/

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WakeUpPeople
A strong cap on carbon would significantly cut the flow of petrodollars to Iran’s hostile regime, a ThinkProgress analysis shows.

The economic and political strength of Iran’s dictatorship is a threat to the national security of the United States and the world, and its nuclear ambitions threaten to destabilize the Middle East. Yesterday, diplomats from “six world powers have met for the first time to discuss imposing new sanctions on Iran for its failure to suspend work on its controversial nuclear program,” but negotiators have not yet figured how to achieve President Barack Obama’s goal of being “consistent and steady in applying international pressure.”

Iran, “which holds the world’s second-biggest oil and gas reserves and supplies about 4.5 percent of the world’s oil production,” uses its oil power “as a strategic asset.” One mechanism to control the flow of petrodollars to Iran — whose oil production is worth $120 billion a year at current prices — is for the United States to control its appetite for oil. ThinkProgress has found that a carbon cap that reduces global warming pollution by 80 percent by 2050 would mean Iran would lose approximately $1.8 trillion worth of oil revenues over the next forty years — over $100 million a day [as the figure shows].

The United States is by far the world’s biggest consumer of oil, accounting for 25 percent of world production. Our demand is more than the four next biggest consumers — China, Japan, India, and Russia — combined, despite having only 11% of their population. Unilateral action by the United States to reduce oil consumption has a profound effect on the world market, and is the first step towards global climate policy that builds a zero-carbon economy.

If the world moves away from oil dependence, Iran’s regime will no longer be able to rely on petrodollars to stay afloat. Other unfriendly regimes propped up by carbon-fuel money, such as Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, will also feel the pinch, improving our national security and making it less likely our armed services will fight battles amid the oil fields. For that to happen, the United States must pass comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation as fast as possible, the stronger the better.
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    Iran,  Carbon Caps
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5 comments // Analysis: Strong carbon cap would cut Iran’s petrodollars by over $100 million a day

  • Dagum
    • +1
      Dagum  

    • I am for controlling pollution . But I don’t think a carbon tax is the way to do. Unless the tax is exuberantly high, higher than the value of the goods produced by the process that gives off carbon as a by-product, its just going to be absorbed as a cost of doing business. What it essentially becomes is a license from the government giving you the right to pollute so long as you pay them some money.

      I have to hand it to the author of this article though. It is written in a way to try to appeal to a certain political demographic that would otherwise be against carbon taxes. It’s about time the green movement become more tactful, and recognized that pitching their ideas in certain ways can appeal to, and win over people from all over the political spectrum.

    • 2 years ago
  • CalPal
    • 0
      CalPal  
    • Dagum:

      Totally agree with you 100%, there. Carbon tax can only work if it is ridiculously high, which is ironic, because no one will probably have the guts to put it that high.

    • 2 years ago
  • WakeUpPeople
    • +1
      WakeUpPeople  
    • Image
    • Dagum:

      Unfortunately, the only thing that these corporations care about is money (as is seen with the latest coal mining disaster http://current.com/news/92369338_don-blankenship-s-record-of-profits-over-safety...) It is all they seem to respond to, so I think that taxing them for the harm they are causing on the population is just about the only way to approach it. If the govt then used that money for pollution clean up and green energy infrastructure, I would be very pleased. Just curious though, Dagum... How would you approach it to get these polluting corporations to change the behaviors? (It's a real question)

    • 2 years ago
  • Dagum
    • 0
      Dagum  
    • WakeUpPeople:

      There is no magic bullet solution.

      You're right you have to hit a corporation in the wallet for them to start caring.

      If I lived next to a manufacturing plant and suffered respiratory problems from breathing in their smog I would sue them for seven figures. Corporations understand lawsuits and will adjust their behaviors accordingly to avoid them.

    • 2 years ago
  • WakeUpPeople
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