Beware libertarian fine print on global warming

Libertarian op-ed columnist Steve Chapman appears to agree that global warming is real, but strongly opposes government regulations as any part of the solution. Here’s part of why, he says:

The government's fuel economy standards also haven't done much to promote conservation. On average, new vehicles get lower mileage today than they did 20 years ago, thanks to the proliferation of large trucks and SUVs.

That’s the government’s fault ONLY because it kowtowed rather than being more proactive, and cutting SUVs out of “truck” mileage standards and instead putting them in car mileage standards. That said, Chapman is right about this:

Other motorists will keep driving their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for years to come, blissfully spared any incentive to conserve.

His quasi-typical “free market is everything” answer? A carbon tax.

Steve, these aren’t mutually exclusive issues. We actually need both, if we’re going to be serious about global warming, anyway. And, we need the CAFÉ standards for vehicle mileage increased to address Peak Oil issues anyway, which a carbon tax won’t directly touch. And, the part that he’s right about? That means we need to up the CAFÉ now rather than waiting.