What is Carbon Tax
Government has introduced several measures to mitigate the harmful effects associated with the burning of fuels, one of the chief measures imposed by the government to mitigate negative impacts resulting from carbon emission is through the introduction of the carbon tax. Carbon tax denotes the percentage fee imposed by the government on any organization or company that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, gasoline, and oil. Carbon emissions tend to have a significant negative impact on the environment such as destruction of the ozone layer which in turn leads to a rise in the global temperatures, alteration of the rainfall patterns, and a rise in the sea levels. Moreover, this form of the climatic change caused by carbon emissions causes detrimental effects on agricultural production and the homeowners (Hagmann, David, Emily & Loewenstein. Pp. 484-489). Hence Ideally, fossil fuels tend to cause negative externality on the environment, hence government imposes the carbon tax as a legal fee necessary to address the issue of emitters of the greenhouse gases who are not facing the entire social cost associated with their actions. Ultimately, carbon tax tends to have significant positive impacts on the environment since it reflects the actual cost caused by activities of burning carbon. Such costs are measured by the extent to which the homeowners, the government, and farmers suffer the effects emanating from the climatic changes brought by carbon emission. As a form of Pigovian tax, it works by ensuring that consumers and companies pay for the external costs imposed on society through carbon emission.
What is the Problem with Palm Oil?
Similar to the effects burning of fossil fuels, palm oil tends to be associated with the drastic change in the climatic conditions being experienced across the globe. The farming of oil palm is considered a hazard due to its huge contributions to the climatic change. Palm oil is said to have contributed around eight percent (8%) of the total deforestation across the globe amid 1990 and 2008. Mostly because people tend to clear (through burning or cutting down the trees) the forests in pursuit of a suitable land where they can grow oil palms. Hence, leading to fewer and fewer plants and trees in the forest which in turn to a huge accumulation of the carbon emissions in the atmosphere responsible for climate change (Andrianto, Agus & Heru Komarudin. p. 56). Moreover, burning of the forests to grow oil palm tends to release large amounts of carbon dioxide and increases the black carbon in the atmosphere which in turn leads to climate change. Such cases were reported in Singapore in June 2013 where a thick layer of carbon dioxide spread throughout the city. Ideally, the problem with palm oil lies in its efficiency which attracts the attention of a large population who wants to grow it. This, in turn, leads to the destruction of the forests hence increasing the carbon accumulation in the atmosphere which results in an adverse climatic change.
What is Palm Oil used for?
However, despite the detrimental climatic changes attributed to palm oil, it also tends to positive impacts since it has a wide range of beneficial uses. Palm oil is utilized in a wide range of activities that are beneficial to the human body. Mostly, palm oil is incorporated into food materials to boost the health of human beings. It is used as a source of vitamin A hence reducing the occurrence of vitamin A deficiency amongst human beings (Yusof & Nor Zuliana. Pp. 520-530). Also, it is used to mitigate the occurrence of brain diseases, cancer, and aging. Moreover, it is used to avert high blood pressure, malaria, dementia, cyanide poisoning, and high cholesterol. Industrially, it is used for the manufacturing of soaps, cosmetics, ink, lubricants, toothpaste, and waxes.
What about the Film did you find most inspiring and empowering?
One of the most inspiring and empowering aspect in the film is through the ways it encourages and enlighten the viewers regarding the solutions that need to embrace to mitigate the issues of climatic change. Moreover, I found the film inspiring since it highlights the impacts of climate change and the solutions to the problem chronologically hence making it easier for the viewers to understand. Morose, the film highlights its arguments regarding climate change in a more deeply manner hence making it more interesting and inspiring for the viewers. Also, “Before the Flood” offers the most intelligent and profound information regarding climate change, hence triggering the policymakers and other parties to put their emphasis on the climate issues and measures to put into practice to mitigate this problem.
Work Cited
Andrianto, Agus, Heru Komarudin, and Pablo Pacheco. “Expansion of oil palm plantations frontier: Problems of externalities and the future of local and indigenous communities.” Land 8.4 (2019): 56.
Hagmann, David, Emily H. Ho, and George Loewenstein. ” support for a carbon tax.” Nature Climate Change 9.6 (2019): 484-489.
Yusof, Nor Zuliana. “POTENTIAL USES OF OIL PALM (Elaeis Guineensis) LEAF EXTRACT IN TOPICAL APPLICATION.” Journal of Oil Palm Research, vol. 28, no. 4, 30 Dec. 2016, pp. 520–530, 10.21894/jopr.2016.2804.13. Accessed 17 Nov. 2019.