Impact Tax

for a Safe and

Affordable

Future

Dear world leaders in the coming days you will

decide on a carbon tax which is a crucial part

of climate policy However I call on you to go

beyond a carbon tax and introduce a complete

impact tax This is what the world actually

needs because focusing on one type of impact

will lead to dangerous waterbed effects we

cannot afford

Heres why an economy that operates within

planetary boundaries is essential for a safe and

affordable future Today we are not only facing

a climate crisis but also an environmental

crisis ánd a biodiversity crisis Were exceeding

planetary boundaries ever more A carbon

tax will pave the way for solutions that may

relieve the climate crisis but it will leave room

for more pressure on the environment and

nature

Two examples the mining sector will need to

grow at an unprecedented rate to supply raw

materials for the energy transition Under the

regime of a carbon tax this sector can freely

pollute This could lead to an unprecedented

global environmental disaster Or with the

incentives of a carbon tax we might switch

from fossil fuels to biomass which would

further increase the pressure on agricultural

land and nature We simply do not have the

time nor the money to allow for such f laws in

the economy

I therefore propose to replace the carbon

tax with an impact tax Lets start paying the

true costs of pollution land degradation

deforestation loss of species et cetera We

are paying for these losses already but in

the wrong ways An impact tax will prevent

dangerous waterbed effects Moreover it will

challenge industries companies and designers

to come up with real solutions that get us

within safe planetary boundaries Seeking

for thoroughly sustainable solutions will

automatically become business logic in a world

with an impact tax We would immediately

clean up the mining sector We would put way

more effort into materials eff iciency we would

reduce energy demand instead of shifting

towards biomass We would restore and protect

nature

We would actually start building a safe healthy

and affordable future

You have the power to make this happen now

Please use it

Babette Porcelijn

Babette Porcelijn is the founder and director

of Think Big Act Now foundation an NGO

that helps people to become effective change

agents for a sustainable world She writes

books about our environmental and social

impact The driving question behind her work

is How can we steer the world towards a safe

future for all Think Big and how can we as

individuals contribute Act Now She uses

science and design thinking to solve societal

issues

Babette

Porcelijn