France’s Carbon Tax Riots

…France’s Carbon Tax Riots…

The media has reported on the riots in France as a protest against higher gasoline taxes … which they were.

But generally, the media failed to mention that the higher gasoline taxes were an effort to cut CO2 emissions to prevent climate change.

The riots were actually in opposition to EU’s climate change policies.

Ironically, the COP 24 meeting in Katowice Poland began on the same day the French government capitulated on the gasoline CO2 tax, with the French Prime Minister deciding not to attend the opening of the UNFCCC COP 24 meeting.

The COP 24 meeting was to determine how to increase performance of the UNFCCC Paris Accord.

The United States has withdrawn from the Paris Accord, but not from the UNFCCC Treaty that was ratified by the US Senate in 1992. The book CLEXIT contains a complete copy of the UNFCCC treaty. 

While President Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Accord, the US must still comply with the UNFCCC Treaty.

COP 24 Background:

The UNFCCC established the Council of the Parties (COP) where all the members of the UNFCCC would meet annually to establish policies for cutting CO2.
The meeting in Katowice Poland is the 24th meeting of the parties, thus COP 24. The US is a participant in COP 24.
The priority outcome from negotiations at COP24 will be the finalization of the “Paris rulebook”, namely, the framework of rules that will guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The French riots over the gasoline tax were nascent opposition to actions taken by European governments to impose policies for cutting CO2 emissions.

However, EU governments are proposing even tighter restrictions and more draconian targets for cutting CO2 emissions beyond current targets.

Time will tell how these opposing forces play out.

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