Dear Editor:
In reference to the letter Carbon Tax Excessive by Corrie Kost (Dec. 2, North Shore News), a bit of back-of-the-napkin math shows that the natural gas tax he complains of is not excessive.
If we estimate the number of people in the developed world, and thus able to afford a climate change tax, to be one billion (see Population Reference Bureau) and the total cost of climate change stabilization by 2050 at around $1.5 trillion (Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change), the average household needs to contribute $1,500. And this will only stabilize emissions; full reversal would cost far more.
The average Canadian uses 100 gigajoules of natural gas per year. Assuming Kost uses the Canadian average per year, he is contributing $150 per year against the required $1,500. Many North Shore residents live in excess. I don't think the current carbon tax is asking too much.
Mark Daly North Vancouver
