The Global Environmental Tax Proposal

How can developing nations expect the developing nations to stop logging their rainforests, strip-mining, over-fishing, etc., if we don't give them a financial incentive to do so? Maybe developed nations should pay into a Global Environmental Tax fund annually based on their pro-rata use of global resources. The money in this fund would then be paid to developing nations for every acre of sustainable healthy natural resources they maintain.

For example, the Fund would pay Brazil for every acre of sustainable rainforest it maintains. After all, clean air and species diversity is of benefit to the whole planet -- why shouldn't Brazil be able to "sell" this resource just like some nations sell their oil? If we could make it more (or as) profitable for Brazil to keep the rainforest standing than to destroy it, this might provide a powerful incentive for them to focus on sustainability and environmental protection. Some portion of the Fund would also go toward funding a rapid-response team to conduct emergency environmental cleanup operations around the world.

Comments

[Nova Spivack]

That's a good point -- one that is difficult to solve as well. Perhaps the funds distribution should be administered directly by the body that receives the tax funds rather than by local national representatives, as a means to prevent intra-national corruption in the process.

[nassat idris]

Dear sir,

Principally I agree with the idea but the problems of implementation incentive in developing country is corruption at all sector.Therefore the proposal should add with scheme of monitoring and evaluation of incentive distrubution