Antinuclear

Australian government looks to the future with its carbon policy

 more than 50 jurisdictions around the world, with a combined population of 850 million, will have a carbon price by next year.

Far from disappearing from the face of the earth, Whyalla’s OneSteel is investing $200m in a port upgrade. 

If Australia were to falter and defer carbon pricing, our industries would be stuck with old technologies in a global marketplace in which production processes are moving to lower-carbon energy sources. 

Pricing carbon is essential to our nation’s future, BY: CRAIG EMERSON  The Australian June 30, 2012   IF you believe the prophecies of carbon pricing opponents, the world as we know it comes to an end tomorrow. The sky will fall in, Whyalla and Gladstone will be wiped off the map, the coalmining industry will be annihilated and price rises will be unimaginable.

Now the truth: the carbon price will increase the general price level by 70c in every $100, households will experience average cost-of-living increases of $9.90 a week and average compensation will be $10.10 a week. Treasury estimates that with the carbon price in place 1.6 million new jobs will be created to 2020.

Earlier this month BHP Billiton approved an $833 million investment in
the Illawarra. Far from disappearing from the face of the earth, Whyalla’s OneSteel is investing $200m in a port upgrade. And around
Gladstone, three liquefied natural gas projects under development are
worth a staggering $56 billion.

Indeed, the pipeline of new mineral investment is estimated at more
than $500bn and investment’s share of the economy is set to reach
50-year highs. These investment decisions are being made in the full
knowledge of the carbon price…….
Critics of the government’s carbon pricing decision assert that
Australia should wait for other countries to put a price on carbon
instead of going it alone. But more than 50 jurisdictions around the world, with a combined population of 850 million, will have a carbon price by next year.

It’s further claimed that since Australia’s emissions-intensive
industries are exposed to international competition, a carbon price of
$23 a tonne will cause those industries to relocate to countries with
no or lower carbon prices. But because of the government’s decision to
grant those industries free carbon permits, our most
emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries will face an effective
carbon price of only about $1.30 a tonne of emissions….
If Australia were to falter and defer carbon pricing, our industries would be stuck with old technologies in a global marketplace in which production processes are moving to lower-carbon energy sources. Our
industrial competitiveness would suffer and we would squander the
opportunities that investment in renewable energy sources offers…..
Putting a price on carbon is another such reform, essential for
securing Australia’s future. In the reforming Labor tradition, the
Gillard government is making the hard decision now to price carbon
instead of leaving the task to our children when it would be much more
expensive and disruptive to our economy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/pricing-carbon-is-essential-to-our-nations-future/story-fn59niix-1226412677662

June 30, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, business