Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Nicholas Sarkozy, former president of France, who is currently running again for President, has demanded Europe impose a carbon tax on imported US goods if Trump pulls out of the Paris Agreement.
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The primary candidate for the right Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed Sunday, November 13, the implementation of a carbon tax on US products imported into Europe , if the President elect Donald Trump denounced the agreement of Paris on the climate.
“Donald Trump said he would not meet – we’ll see if he takes this commitment – the conclusions of the Paris agreement on climate. Well I ask that Europe is adopting a carbon tax at the borders of Europe, a tax of 1 to 3% for all products that come from the United States if the United States is exempt from environmental rules, we impose on our businesses.”
“We can not find in a situation where our businesses have obligations but where we continue to import products from countries that meet none of those obligations”, he pleaded on TF1.
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Read more (original French): http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2016/11/13/sarkozy-propose-une-taxe-carbone-si-trump-denonce-l-accord-sur-le-climat_5030514_823448.html
This isn’t the first time European politicians have demanded a Carbon tax on countries they perceive as less environmentally pure than themselves. A previous European attempt to impose a carbon tax on international airlines foundered when everyone else refused to pay.
The concept of carbon taxing other countries has repeatedly reared its head on the world stage, the latest incarnation being a UN brokered agreement to impose an airline carbon tax on everyone.
The description of arch-globalist and climate fanatic Nicolas Sarkozy as being the primary candidate for the French Right is open to question – Marine Le Pen, a Donald Trump like figure in French politics, has a serious chance of winning the upcoming French Presidential Election.
EW – Corrected the name of Marine Le Pen
Except from some vines and cheese what else do french exports excel in? Can´t think of anything special to be honest. So why trade with the french?
Well, unless the JSF finally goes somewhere, and unless you are in love with “stealth” concept with all its issues (speed/power, fragility, weight, capacity…), the Dassault Rafale is a relativement affordable twin-engine fighter.
And no, being French has no impact on my jugement. I wouldn’t recommend any military Airbus thing before we understand what’s going on there (which is frightening).
Dassault = managed, designed, build France with imports = well managed
Airbus = “Europe” (actually, a few countries in Europe) = a mess that has been going on for years
Of course, the vagaries of French politics might be an issue.
Pretensiousness?
But we’ve got enough of that on the coasts already. No need to import any more.
Hey France and Europe… you need us…. we don’t need you! Whatever tax you apply to our goods, we will double and apply to all your goods. We’ll just make trade deals with the UK and tell the rest of you jackwagons to go to hell.
If USA pulls out of Paris, France will only be the start. All countries will take it upon themselves to apply non-trade tarriff barriers. It will be a huge invitation for all countries to pile in. No one should be surprised and there would be nothing WTO etc can do about it. Of course, another option might be to keep to the Paris agreement.
“All countries will take it upon themselves to apply non-trade tarriff barriers”
Yeah, of course.
They will, cause, well, they like to harm themselves and politicians want to lose elections.
“Donald Trump said he would not meet – we’ll see if he takes this commitment – the conclusions of the Paris agreement on climate. Well I ask that Europe is adopting a carbon tax at the borders of Europe, a tax of 1 to 3% for all products that come from the United States if the United States is exempt from environmental rules, we impose on our businesses.”
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Sarkozy can’t imagine getting that doubled back; astounding.
But I thought decarbonising your economy was not a cost, but a great opportunity! The only cost was to those Left Behind in the search for increasing penetration of windmills and EVs. Surely Sarkozy should be cheering TH US committing economic suicide by not levying a carbon tax?
shame on you; french people don’t like Sakozy
No more global-warming for Sarkozy now. Sarkozy now gone:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38047046
You can’t say that Sarkozy is warming or cooling because you can’t define his temperature: when you measure it, it changes.
Sarkozy cannot be observed or described. He is indefinite.
And he forever lefted politics. (For the second time.)
In the grand scheme of things France is an irrelevant market for US Products. Americans make the most money in the country with the largest market and that is still United States (11 Million consumers). Europe isn’t even in the Top 3.
He lost the election , he is gone
Loser
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/11/21/world/europe/ap-eu-france-election.html
Sarkozy c’est Fini