Antinuclear

Under the Gillard government’s proposed carbon tax, the revenue will be recycled to ensure that 90 per cent of households will be no worse off and that compensation will be paid to the most trade-exposed industries. 

The science is clear. And if countries such as China continue their massive drive to reduce their reliance on carbon-intensive industries, most of the new mines on which Australia’s present prosperity depends will become stranded assets within five years…

On climate change, it’s all-out war, September 26, 2011, The Age, Kenneth Davidson, The world continues to pour billions into fossil fuels. It makes no sense. AN OLD Chinese proverb points out the longest journey starts with the first step. The carbon tax now being debated in Australia may seem revolutionary, but mea

sured against the science it is microscopic compared with the steps that will be needed within the next few years to keep global warming within 2 degrees.

And even a warming of the planet by 2 degrees will be no picnic. Already, with the global temperature 0.8 degrees above the level before the Industrial Revolution, extreme weather involving drought, flooding rains and extreme heat and bushfires has adversely affected Australia’s economic growth and people’s lives. Worse, irrespective of what measures are taken now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is at least a further 0.6 degrees of warming in the pipeline as the existing build-up of greenhouse gases takes its toll on the climate.

The Coalition opposes a carbon tax and has promised to spend $3.2 billion on carbon abatement projects over four years, financed by unspecified expenditure cuts. Per tonne, the Coalition cuts will be twice the cost of those under the Labor carbon tax and there will be no compensation.

But the Coalition has no mechanism to discourage new investment in high-emission industries such as coal-fired power stations, providing they adopt ”best practice” in order to minimise emissions. The policy is neither cost effective compared to a carbon tax nor administratively feasible.

Julia Gillard has failed to sell the Labor policy because it has been promoted as an economic trade-off rather than as a story about how people will have to live in a warming world to avoid catastrophe.

At the same time as the carbon tax bills were introduced into the Parliament on September 15, a business group called the Climate Alliance held its national conference in Melbourne. The speakers pulled no punches. They all agreed the carbon tax is only the first step along the path of sustainability…..

Over the three years to 2013 the mining industry will have invested in the order of $150 billion in mainly fossil fuel-related developments which are ”crowding out” industrial investment, including investment in renewable energy.

The science is clear. And if countries such as China continue their massive drive to reduce their reliance on carbon-intensive industries, most of the new mines on which Australia’s present prosperity depends will become stranded assets within five years…………. http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/on-climate-change-its-allout-war-20110925-1krlh.html#ixzz1Z6cxorEN