Guidare o riscaldarsi con combustibili fossili costerà centinaia di euro in più, ma nessuno se ne rende conto

A few excerpts from behind the paywall:

> Few people who invest in a new car or heating will take into account ETS2, the new European regulated CO₂ tax that Flanders must introduce in just over two years. The additional costs can nevertheless be considerable.

>Researchers calculated that the ETS2 price could be between 71 and 261 euros per tonne of CO₂ in 2030. But at an ETS2 price of 45 euros per tonne, a litre of petrol or diesel will become 10 to 12 cents more expensive. If the ETS2 price actually rises to 261 euros per tonne, petrol will cost as much as 60 cents more and diesel 70 cents more. Average gas consumption would become 940 euros more expensive per year, and average heating oil consumption would even become 1,705 euros more expensive.

> It is easy to guess that this is a particularly sensitive issue politically. The darkest scenarios of 60 or 70 cents extra charges per litre of petrol or diesel sound like a recipe for popular anger. However, there is another side to the story. All ETS2 revenues flow back to the member states. In Flanders, they are “fully used to help those who contribute to the system to make the transition feasible and affordable”, as stated in the Flemish government agreement. This is also a European obligation.

>In practice, the money will be used to finance Flemish instruments such as the Mining Renovation Premium or the Mining Renovation Loan, or for collective renovation policy. There will also be a Flemish Social Climate Plan that should support vulnerable citizens. Whether that will calm the anger of those who have already made a decision that will later turn out to be the wrong one, is the question.

>All of this if the ETS2 scheme as it has now been decided, is also implemented in full. An evaluation moment will follow in 2026, if gas and oil prices are high then, the introduction of the system can be postponed for another year. In the Flemish government, the scepticism goes even further. The coalition agreement contains a significant comment about ETS2: “As long as this measure is not scaled back at European level.”

The faster the better … and please introducé a tax on wood burning