From the EPA:
Emission Facts: Average Carbon Dioxide Emissions Resulting from Gasoline and Diesel Fuel | US EPA Quote:
CO2 emissions from a gallon of gasoline = 2,421 grams x 0.99 x (44/12) = 8,788 grams = 8.8 kg/gallon = 19.4 pounds/gallon
CO2 emissions from a gallon of diesel = 2,778 grams x 0.99 x (44/12) = 10,084 grams = 10.1 kg/gallon = 22.2 pounds/gallon
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Googling "offset CO2" leads me to this "known emissions" calculator:
Known Emissions | Carbon Dioxide Emission Calculators | Carbon Offsetting | co2balance
They don't have pricing in Dollars available yet, so I just picked the UK site and convert the rate using today's exchange rate. (about 1:2)
For 1 gallon of gasoline, the tax would have to be: 14c
For 1 gallon of diesel, you'd be paying: 16c
That's the cost every driver today unloads onto everyone else, without paying for it as the current tax isn't used to offset the emissions. (I'm actually surprised how low this is... I figured it'd be much more. I guess it adds up.)
The cost of offsetting could double once the "cheap" opportunities are used up, but that'll take a while. It'll also be a gradual increase, which is much better than a one-time jump. Offsetting where it's cheapest makes sense, but if the goal is to boost the domestic economy you could probably fund offset projects within the US at a slightly higher cost.
Add that tax globally, earmark it for offset projects and I don't care how much anyone drives around with their SUV. The goal can't be to dictate what others can do, but to fix market failures where they lead to bad outcomes.