It’s time for a global carbon emissions tax

Non-binding targets set at UN conferences can be ignored, but a €100-per-ton levy on all countries would be easier to enforce and benefit everyone, says Mats Persson.

The problem is staggering, even existential. Global emissions of greenhouse gases — especially carbon dioxide — are rapidly driving up global temperatures, transforming life as we know it.

If those temperatures reach 2C above pre-industrial levels, scientists warn, the results will be catastrophic.