[ekianjo]

> I think we need a carbon tax, that is specifically a financial disincentive towards any means of energy production that directly pollutes the atmosphere.

Then by all means lets ban video games which are an extreme waste of electricity polluting the atmosphere for no good reason.

You see how this reasonning can go?

[iso1631]

Let say carbon tax of $200/ton, or 20c/kg.

US co2 generation on the grid is about 0.5kg per kwH, so would add 10c/kWh.

That means that your PS5, using 200 Watts, costs an extra 2c per hour to play -- on top of the existing 15c/hr for normal electric costs.

A single bitcoin transaction of 780kWh would cost $78 and a transatlantic flight about $300, or $1.20 to a gallon of gas.

Make the tax $2k/ton, it raises your PS5 cost from 15c/hr to 25c/hr and a bitcoin transaction to $780 and take transatlantic flights back to the cost of the 70s

That sounds fine to me. The energy used by a PS5 is insignificant.

> You see how this reasonning can go?

Yes I do, it sounds really exciting.

The money raised would be spent on carbon reduction (which gives a financial incentive to Brazil to not chop down rainforest, or pays for other forms of carbon capture), and disincentivises carbon usage. Brilliant.

[throwaway939321]

Video games don't produce any electricity. The idea is to disincentive electricity production.

[machiaweliczny]

Then people will switch to producing energy at home via sonar panel, disel engines etc. illegally, or some countries will just allow it and get rich (see corporate tax for similar mechanism)