By the time goods get to market, the ecologically sustainable product has a lower sticker price and is more attractive to the consumer. The costs of harmful production would be higher than such things as solar energy, recycled glass and organic food. These eco-taxes should not be seen as a new way to add to government coffers, however, or it's doubtful they would be politically feasible. There isn't a change in real income, only a shift in spending towards environmental sustainability. Tax burdens and tax breaks can also send job-creation incentives to the marketplace.
Governments now promote affirmative action for machines at the expense of workers.
When a company creates a new job, they are charged payroll taxes such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation. But when they lay-off workers and replace them with machines they receive a tax deduction for capital expenditures. The 90s haven't quite turned out that way. Too many other Canadians have no paycheque at all. Manufacturing jobs are disappearing even while productivity is soaring.