The Joys of a Carbon Wealth Tax: Greening the Economy & Tackling Inequality

Is there a policy tool to take on both climate change and unearned income? Join us to learn about the prospects of a carbon wealth tax.

To address a worsening climate crisis, economists have often touted the tremendous potentials of carbon pricing. However, evidence suggests that such a policy has so far produced limited effects. This panel of distinguished economists will propose a new concept that targets dirty assets; a brown wealth tax to be levied on carbon-intensive capital instead of products. It is argued that such a shift would help speed up the transition to a green economy with the added benefit of addressing wealth inequality.

Our panelists:

Dr. Willi Semmler is a professor of economics at the New School of Social Research and Bielefed University (Germany). Professor Semmler has written extensively on empirical macroeconomics, business cycles and the economics of climate change.

Dr. Raphaele Chappe holds a PhD in Economics, an LL.M , and a Master’s degree in Comparative Business Law. Her research interests include the link between financial markets and wealth inequality; political economy and the history of economic thought; and the philosophical foundations of microeconomics. Dr. Chappe currently teaches at Drew University.

Jose Pedro Bastos Neves is a PhD student at the New School of Social Research. His interests include climate change economics, development finance, Macroeconomics and industrial policy. Jose is the lead author of the paper that forms the substance of this panel discussion.

Note: It is highly recommended that participants read the paper ahead of the session.