Republican lawmaker pitches carbon tax in defiance of party stance

Representative Carlos Curbelo has proposed a tax on carbon dioxide emissions but Republicans are expected to block it

A Republican lawmaker has proposed that the US introduce a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, in a departure from the party's decade-long hostility toward any measure aimed at addressing climate change.

Carlos Curbelo of Florida, considered a moderate GOP member of Congress, said a carbon tax would avoid "saddling young Americans with a crushing environmental debt" and expressed his belief that "this bill or legislation similar to it" will become law one day.