Australia waits for carbon price and action on renewable energy
Germany is aiming to provide between 80 and 100 per cent of
its energy needs through renewables by 2050. …even more ambitious than increasing the amount of renewable energy in Germany is its plan to phase out nuclear power.
Germany’s green light for energy, Sydney Morning Herald, July 14, 2010 Europe is baffled as to why Australia does not do more, writes Mathew Murphy. “…… Germany is so far ahead of countries such as Australia in terms of renewable energy and attitudes towards climate change.
”Australia is seen as a highly polluting country, yet it has so much sun and renewable resources. My question for you is why does it not do more?”………
It is a question that baffles many Europeans and one that now lies at the feet of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Ms Gillard has said she will unveil Labor’s climate change policy at the National Press Club in Canberra tomorrow. With Labor having gone into the last election promising a price on carbon, and now delaying that pledge until 2012 at the earliest, the rest of the world will be watching to see how it proposes to reduce emissions.
The government’s unwillingness so far to follow the European Union’s lead and put a price on carbon is also restricting investment in renewable energy in Australia. While some Australians remain fearful that a carbon price will result in mass job losses and depress the economy, the German experience tells a different story. Germany’s turnover from investment and operation of renewables last year reached €33.4 billion…………
Related employment, often referred to as ”green jobs”, is also growing rapidly in Germany. Since 2004, jobs in the renewable sector have increased by 87 per cent to about 300,500. While there have been some job losses through the greening of Germany’s economy, they have been offset by strong growth in the renewables sector – producing a net positive result in the jobs market.
By comparison, there are only about 10,000 green jobs in Australia, according to the Clean Energy Council. The government’s plan to require electricity providers to supply 20 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 will more than double that figure to an expected 24,000 jobs. At that point, though, Germany will have almost tripled its current position: it is aiming for an economy with 750,000 green jobs by 2020 and 900,000 by 2030………….
Germany is aiming to provide between 80 and 100 per cent of its energy needs through renewables by 2050. That goal is dependent on energy efficiency measures and bringing down energy demand by 55 per cent……. Perhaps even more ambitious than increasing the amount of renewable energy in Germany is its plan to phase out nuclear power. Germany’s green light for energy
No comments yet.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
Leave a comment