For those who think there isn’t a viable alternative to the present economic model, I would urge you to study Paul Hawken’s restorative plan that is laid out brilliantly in the Ecology of Commerce (Harper Business, Revised Edition, 2010). I know I keep harping on this book, but seriously, it’s all there. Here’s another fabulous quote (p. 146).
The key to redesigning the economy is to shift most taxes derived from “goods” to “bads,” from income and payroll taxes to taxes on pollution, environmental degradation, and nonrenewable energy consumption. Because green taxes are incorporated in to the price a company or customer pays for a resource, product, or service, they create powerful incentives to revise and constantly improve methods of production, distribution, and consumption, as well as a means to reconsider our wants and needs. The purpose of a green tax is to give people and companies positive incentives to avoid paying them.