Artful Dodger:
> But don't expect the government to do the job right. The government is incapable of such a task.

I think this is where the problem lies. When it came to pollution, western governments didn't even try to do a job in the first place. Smog in big cities and air pollution have been here since the start of the industrial revolution. 200 years later we are still trying to stop the problem and our governments have failed completely because they have put the profits of companies above clean air or environmental protection.

If the government is unable to tackle the problem, who should fix it then? Private industry? They are the ones who have no interest in reducing emmissions because doing so will cost them money.

I don't agree with universal carbon footprint taxation. I prefer a targetted taxation. Tax those industries that cause most of the pollution: Oil, natural gas, tar sands, utilities, car manufacturing, etc. Then give tax breaks to companies that adopt clean techonologies. Those that make no effort to change can keep paying more taxes until they realize that changing their production methods and their products will be more profitable in the long run. One thing is certain. There will be inflation because switching to new technologies will ultimately be paid for by consumers. Somewhere in this we have to find a balance because failing to act means that our grandchildren will deal with a dirty atmosphere and the environmental and human health problems that come with that.