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A combined carbon and sugar tax could have environmental and health benefits

Research

A combination of a carbon tax on food and a tax on sugary drinks in the UK could lead to health benefits, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and raise up to GB£3.6 billion revenue, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Lead researcher, Adam Briggs from the University of Oxford, said: “Agriculture is responsible for up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and those arising from food production have negative effects that aren’t borne by the individual buying the food, but by society as a whole. Examples include the health effects of global warming from extreme weather, changing global disease patterns, and airborne pollution, as well as changes to food production patterns and overall availability of energy resources.

Read more (Nuffield Department of Population Health)

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