Mitigation of climate change is a global responsibility that all nations take part in. Being in an era where industrialization and modernization exacerbate the condition of our environment, among the measures that policymakers proposed to ease the impact of this environmental phenomenon is to impose a Pigouvian tax on firms and industries for each ton of greenhouse gases that they emit through a taxation policy called carbon taxation.

Is the World Ready for Carbon Prices?

Carbon taxes are government fees imposed on carbon-emitting firms and businesses for each ton of greenhouse gases they emit. According to Parry (2019), countries will greatly benefit from carbon taxation in reducing greenhouse gases; however, what Parry fails to cover in his study is how this would affect the economies of the developing countries.

What are Carbon Taxes? 

It is not fair that developing countries would also be imposed with carbon taxes without further research on its economic and social implications, including how our the agricultural and transportation services sectors, being two of the largest sources of the livelihood of their citizens, would benefit from this policy. For instance, in the Philippines, carbon taxation will increase the accumulated transaction costs suppliers will shoulder, including the costs incurred by transportation, machinery, and consumption of fertilizers; thus, increasing the prices of our agricultural products.

The Fault in Our Taxes: Carbon Pricing vs. Developing Countries

A solution may be proposed to the burden, which is to allocate the taxes collected from carbon pricing in subsidizing the needs of agricultural workers; however, will these subsidies be enough to cover agricultural emergencies such as, for instance, flooding? Furthermore, developing countries are challenged by high energy tariffs which are no longer within the scope of carbon taxation.The premise of carbon taxation does wonders in reducing GHGs; but there are countries that are yet to prepare for its consequences on the livelihood of its citizens.

...so is the "whole" world ready for Carbon Pricing? 

A carbon tax is a government fee imposed on companies that burn coal, oil, or gas. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

Discover the world of business and economics.

economics

Economics

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

How a Carbon Tax Can Solve Climate Change

After years of training as a campus journalist and participating in district-level feature writing competitions, I have finally received my score on the first ever paper that I did as a college student ─ a whopping 23/50 written in bright red ink. My freshman self was devastated, and questioned the worth of all the years she took in writing various features that her publication adviser was proud of. “Was that all a joke?” she asked. She threw the paper in the nearest trash bin that she saw as soon as she went home to her dormitory, just as how she threw all the confidence she had in writing.

Ten Things The Old Writer in Me Should’ve Known

Nonetheless, I am grateful that this event happened. What seemed to be my biggest failure at a time as a young aspiring writer is actually my largest eye-opening moment that motivated me more to brush up my writing and research skills. Having said this, here are some of the things that I keep in mind as I further improve my writing skills and regain the confidence that I once had as an aspiring writer.

...but did this stop me from writing?

Writers have the talent, or the ability at least, to play with words that can inspire, inform, and persuade their writers, so why waste such time and talent on writing something that almost everyone else knows about?

1. Avoid the obvious content. 

This is what makes a writer’s job more challenging, especially in the information age where information can be easily accessed by anyone with the means in only a click away. It is our responsibility as writers to delve further into thinking of content that may serve as a wake up call for our readers to do action, to be informed by events that are less tackled by the national media, or to simply open their eyes on the other side of a controversial story.

2. Take the less usual side. 

While admitting that I am at fault for using lengthy sentences as a writer, I appreciate it better when the articles I am reading are direct with their ideas and arguments. I can see how this rule should be applied for a more effective writing style, as it guides not only writers but also readers to be on the same page and not to get lost with the thoughts of the author.

3. Call a fool a fool.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. In verbal conversations such, we can easily ask each other for the definition of the words they use that we do not understand; however, the writer-reader relationship does not have this feature (unless, of course, if you are reading the essay in front of its author). As writers, we have to make sure that our message is sent clearly to our readers, and we can fulfill such a responsibility by using words that they can easily understand.

4. Use everyday English words as much as possible.

I personally find both reading and writing in an active voice easier than using a passive voice. Writing in an active voice helps readers to focus more on the subject rather on its accompanying details such as its qualities and actions.

5. Use active voice over passive voice.

Such as how powerful words can influence and gain an impact on the readers, using too many words can confuse them ─ and also the writer as she slowly lose sight of her thought as she excessively writes down a long list of words that are supposed to support the topic.Suggested reading: "Clutter" by William Zinssler

6. Omit needless words. 

As writers, although we cannot limit the imagination of our readers, we can limit their assumptions and misconceptions by writing the details of our topic as they are, especially when we are dealing with informative essays. Exaggeration of details may lead our readers to misinformation and fake news, which is an issue we are trying to eradicate in the information age.

7. Do not overstate.

Ensuring consistency in using one tense throughout the summary avoids confusion to our reader, and also helps them to point out when was the summarized topic relevant in our history (whether if it is in the past or the present).

8. Stick to one tense only, especially in writing summaries.

Our professor in Ethics 1 once told us, “make sure that you allot at least two to three days between your final draft and its revision ─ you’d be surprised by how many errors you’ve actually made throughout writing your paper.” Revision and rewriting our write-ups are among the important steps in writing as it helps us see what errors must be fixed and what discussions need more improvement.

9. Revise and rewrite.

Experimenting with different writing styles is okay, but trying to stray away from the usual writing format and technique for the purpose of “standing out” may lead us rather to the worst of our mental health as a writer; thus, letting our thoughts, and our confidence, fall apart. As a gentle reminder to all who are reading this, including my future self, never punish nor pressure yourself if you think your writing style is too basic.Take good care of your mind and body, practice critical reading and writing, and focus more on your progress and the intentions behind writing your chosen topics.

10. Prefer the standard to offbeat.

writing

Reading & Writing

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

How to Say Nothing In 500 Words | Paul Roberts

"For what reason ought equality to be the rule in matters of taxation? For the reason it ought to be so in all affairs of government."

books

Books

Handbook of Public Economics: Ch. 1. A brief history of fiscal doctrine

A tongue twister is a type of diction or articulation exercise containing a series of alliterations that challenge language enthusiasts to recite difficult words at a fast, rhythmic pace and help them improve their fluency, speech, and accent. The linguistic sensation is also seen as a spoken word game that brings enjoyment to its practitioners, and is celebrated as a casual holiday every 8th of November.To master the art of detangling the twisted tongue, one may recite the tongue twister slowly at first, and then practice it in a repetitive manner while gradually speeding up his or her pace.

The Art of Detangling the Twisted Tongue 

A tongue twister is a great self-improvement tool that helps an individual brush up his speech, boost his confidence, express himself better, and kill his time in a productive manner. Aside from these, tongue twisters also offer you the following benefits:<ul><li>Strengthen and stretch the muscles involved in speaking, which extends from your facial muscles to your neck.</li><li> Point out which sounds are difficult for you to pronounce, especially with consonant digraph sounds such as ch, sh, and th.</li><li> Warm up your public speaking skills. </li><li> Expand your vocabulary and reading comprehension.</li></ul>

Benefits of Tongue Twisters

Here is a list of tongue-twisting phrases that you can use to unravel your speaking abilities and to challenge your friends in beating you in this tongue-tying game. Take note that you should repeat these phrases until you have mastered the art of performing them without resorting to stutterness. "High roller, low roller, lower roller.""Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.""Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks." "Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.""A big bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly.""A quick-witted cricket critic."

Tongue Twisters for You and Me

Tongue twisters are fun to practice, but they can help you with your English pronunciation and speaking. Find out the benefits of learning tongue twisters.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

communication

Communication

Surprising Benefits of Tongue Twisters

"As a matter of fact, in our personal lives, as in the lives of all peoples, inferiorities are not to be considered as the source of all evil. Only the situation can determine whether they are assets or liabilities." - Alfred Adler

Turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Understanding Human Nature was an attempt to acquaint the general public with the fundamentals of Individual Psychology. Adler explores human personality from all angles – how character develops, the nature of the psyche, how we see the world and how we become who we are. He believed that the work of understanding should not be the preserve of psychologists alone, but a vital undertaking for everyone to pursue, given the bad consequences of ignorance. This approach to psychology was unusually democratic for psychoanalytic circles. It is a work that anyone can read and understand.

Understanding Human Nature

"There is no good reason why we should not develop and change until the last day we live." - Karen Horney

It is never too late to change yourself for the better.

Renowned for her contributions as a psychoanalytic theorist, Karen Horney was also a gifted clinician and teacher of analysts. She included chapters on therapy in several of her books, wrote essays on clinical issues throughout her career, and was preparing to write a book on analytic technique at the time of her death. The lectures collected here constitute a version of that book. This volume provides the most complete record to date of Karen Horney's ideas about the therapeutic process. It offers valuable insight into a little-known aspect of her work and fresh understanding of issues that continue to be of concern to clinicians.

Renowned for her contributions as a psychoanalytic theorist, Karen Horney was also a gifted clinician and teacher of analysts. She included chapters on therapy in several of her books, wrote essays on clinical issues throughout her career, and was preparing to write a book on analytic technique at the time of her death. The lectures collected here constitute a version of that book. This volume provides the most complete record to date of Karen Horney's ideas about the therapeutic process. It offers valuable insight into a little-known aspect of her work and fresh understanding of issues that continue to be of concern to clinicians. Well ahead of her time, Karen Horney viewed therapy as a collaborative enterprise in which the open, frank, and supportive therapist grows along with the patient. She discusses countertransference phenomena and the ways in which a therapist's personality can influence the healing process. She offers much wisdom and practical advice based on her own rich experience.

Karen Horney

The Therapeutic Process

The naturalistic fallacy is an informal logical fallacy that assumes that an object must be good if it is natural, and bad if it is not. Naturalistic fallacy occurs in the arguments against the production of lab-grown meat that some considered to be unethical due to its divergence from the natural processes of raising livestock.Such reasoning, however, may hinder an individual from seeing the benefits of technology, and from challenging the norms and expectations society has imposed on us.

What is Naturalistic Fallacy? 

The Ethics of Cultured Meat

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was given to its laureates over 80 times, with Ostrom and Duflo as the only female awardees.Growing up, American political economist Elinor Ostrom was challenged by the walls of gender stereotypes; nonetheless, being a woman did not stop her from setting a new milestone in economics. She was recognized for her scholarly work that addressed the economic dilemma, “tragedy of the commons.” Her analysis on economic governance led her not to win an award, but also to reveal methods on how community members can manage and share their common resources.

Women Making History in Economics: Elinor Ostrom

Elinor Ostrom’s work on Governing The Commons: An Appreciation

The global pandemic has paved the way for the rise of digital transactions in the economy; however, this shift from fiat to digital currency may raise threats to the rise of information asymmetry in the Philippines. Not all Filipinos have technological and internet access, and there were also reports that some Filipinos were not able to set up their own bank accounts due to financial illiteracy.With this said, now is not the right time for PH to fully shift into a digital economy; but with the proper public provision of goods and technological access, it may join the new economic trend soon.

Is the Philippines ready for the biggest change in the economy?

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said the technology behind digital tokens could improve delivery of financial services, as the regulator proceeds to study the feasibility of its own digital currency.

crypto

Cryptocurrency

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

Philippine Central Bank Warms Up to Digital Money to Aid Fintech

Academic work by George Loewenstein, Scott Rick, and Jonathan D. CohenNeuroeconomics combines the different fields of economics, psychology, biology, and neuroscience. It studies how the psychological and biological aspects of the human brain and the nervous system create an impact on economic decision-making and consumer behavior.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093710" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093710 </a>

How a Carbon Tax Can Solve Climate Change

How to Say Nothing In 500 Words | Paul Roberts

Handbook of Public Economics: Ch. 1. A brief history of fiscal doctrine

Surprising Benefits of Tongue Twisters

Understanding Human Nature

Eli Storm