French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a plan for a national carbon tax, an idea he first put forth in 2007. The plan also includes a European levy on imports from countries that do not follow the Kyoto Protocol, a group that includes the United States and Australia. Under the plan, Sarkozy hopes to reduce France’s CO2 emissions to ¼ of its current levels within 40 years.

The first proposed stage of the plan would impose a tax of 17 euros per ton of CO2 on all forms of energy except electricity, which is exempt because a large percent of French supplies are nuclear-generated and carbon-free.