The energy sector generates over 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but existing energy-climate policies do little to reduce GHG emissions to prevent climate change. We present a new carbon tax policy concept in which energy users would be taxed an amount equal to the cost of cleaning up the emissions that they create, wherein the tax revenues would be used to operate negative emissions technologies. The policy is based on applying the zero-emissions cost (ZEC) metric to energy prices, which includes the ‘regular’ cost of an energy source plus the cost of sequestering its emissions. Using the ZEC, (a) the energy sector would be emissions-neutral, (b) biofuels would be cheaper than petroleum fuels, and (c) renewable electricity would be cheaper than fossil-fuel electricity. We calculate the energy spending as a fraction of gross domestic product for ‘regular’ and ZEC cost scenarios. Implementing the ZEC carbon-tax policy would enable a monumental shift to a net-zero emissions energy sector, but carries a significant risk of causing an economic recession. The summary point of this commentary is to demonstrate a pathway to achieve net-zero GHG emissions from the US energy sector, and to contemplate the associated economic impacts on our society.

能源部门产生了超过 70% 的全球温室气体 (GHG) 排放量，但现有的能源气候政策在减少温室气体排放以防止气候变化方面作用甚微。我们提出了一个新的碳税政策概念，其中能源用户将被征税等于清理他们产生的排放的成本，其中税收收入将用于运营负排放技术。该政策基于将零排放成本 (ZEC) 指标应用于能源价格，其中包括能源的“常规”成本加上隔离其排放的成本。使用 ZEC，(a) 能源部门将实现零排放，(b) 生物燃料将比石油燃料便宜，(c) 可再生电力将比化石燃料电力便宜。对于“常规”和 ZEC 成本情景，我们将能源支出计算为国内生产总值的一部分。实施 ZEC 碳税政策将实现向净零排放能源部门的巨大转变，但存在导致经济衰退的重大风险。本评论的总结点是展示实现美国能源部门温室气体净零排放的途径，并考虑对我们社会的相关经济影响。