Practical problems in Tony Abbott’s climate change policy
Labor and the Greens are preparing to exploit the confusion with a Senate inquiry into direct action taking submissions until January 20 before it starts public hearings.
Tony Abbott’s climate change policy problematic January 11, 2014 SMH, Tom Arup, Peter Hannam The federal government’s new green paper reveals many practical problems with its policy to combat climate change.
When Australia’s new senators take their place in July they are likely to deliver Prime Minister Tony Abbott what he has promised for four years – the scrapping of the carbon tax.
But despite that looming victory the government is now finding out its other big climate promise – the development of a ”lasting and stable” alternative – may not be as simple as it had first suggested.
That alternative, called direct action, has had a long gestation period with then-opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt devising its initial outline during the summer of 2009-10…….
Hunt emerged touting a scheme that has since been panned by many economists and environmentalists. Despite the doubters, Hunt is now preparing to implement it.
Direct action has two main elements. The first is a funding pool – called the emissions reduction fund – to pay companies and farmers to reduce emissions.
……..Secondly, the government will set a baseline for each major polluter determined by their historical emissions rate. If a company exceeds this level it will face some kind of penalty……..
Also unclear after the green paper’s release is what will happen after 2020. The government is considering contracts for emission reductions that have a maximum of five years’ duration, a period that is likely to be too short for most projects to secure required finance, groups including the Clean Energy Council say……..
Wood also points to another critical uncertainty – which is also suddenly looming as the main pressure point with business – the complexity of setting the industry baselines that underpin the whole policy.
If clear limits are not set down, the government risks spending money to cut emissions only to see the savings lost as industry expands.
…….Labor and the Greens are preparing to exploit the confusion with a Senate inquiry into direct action taking submissions until January 20 before it starts public hearings.
“The Senate inquiry will allow proper scrutiny of the Abbott government’s sham direct action policy,” said Tony Burke, Labor’s acting spokesman for Climate Change. “This policy is riddled with holes.”…..
No comments yet.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
Leave a comment