Antinuclear

Tony Abbott ignorant about China’s carbon pricing

Abbott less informed than communists: govt
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/abbott-less-informed-than-communists-govt/story-fn3dxiwe-1226434686272: AAP July 25, 2012 OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has shown he knows less about market economics than China’s communist party, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says. Mr Combet has used a clean energy conference in Sydney to sell the government’s carbon tax and accuse Tony Abbott of not knowing anything about China’s action on carbon pricing.

Mr Abbott had shown complete ignorance about the steps China was taking to price carbon during his recent trip to Beijing, Mr Combet said on Wednesday. “Even the Chinese communist party (has) a better grasp of market economics then the leader of the Liberal Party does,” he said.

Mr Combet said Australia would be left behind by 2020 if it didn’t put a price on carbon dioxide. “There will be binding obligations on all major emitters to reduce emissions from 2020 and we need to prepare for it,” he told the conference.

“If we do nothing we will be hit with the back of an axe.” To meet its 20 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, Australia
needed a carbon price as well as other schemes such as renewable energy targets and carbon farming initiatives, Mr Combet said. “Just as no single clean energy technology is a silver bullet, you can’t just pick one or two of these policies and drive to a clean energy future,” the minister told the conference.

So if Tony Abbott says the opposition will “get rid of the carbon price … it is not going to work.”

July 26, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News