Re: Entropy Tax--to stop pollution of Earth

Posted by DickT on October 28, 2003 at 13:21:01:

In Reply to: Entropy Tax--to stop pollution of Earth posted by DocN on October 28, 2003 at 09:36:59:

Doc,

I guess you mean creation of entropy. An inefficient engine (of any scale) causes more entropy incease than an efficient one.

The purpose of a tax, aside from raising money, is to change priorities. A tax on gasolene makes it more expensive to drive, and thus encourages people to walk or bicycle short distances, rather than driving them.

The same effect can be achived by market forces. Some of the Kobe policies allow polluting nations to buy ecological credits from non polluting ones. It costs them money to do this , which encourages them to reduce their pollution without forcing them to a la dictatorship.

So apply this to your entropy idea. One engine operator has lots of money invested in his gadget and doesn't want to change or scrap it. But it creates lots of entropy. Someone else is running a low-entropy operation. The law can say you have to have a certain cap on your entropy, but part of it can be made up by "negentropy credits" which efficient operators can sell, and which trade on a free market. So Mr. Innefficient has to shell out one way or other, but now he has some freedome of action, he can budget his expenses rationally. And Ms. Efficiency gets a profit on her operation.

Regards,
Dick

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• Entropy tax collector -- DocN 10/31/03 (1)
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