Antinuclear

Australia’s carbon tax has successfully reduced electricity greenhouse gases

Christine Milne  – ‘‘Reducing free permits and ending fossil fuel subsidies to coal and gas would help to drive down emissions but the Abbott government is keen to maintain the culture of entitlement in those industries,’’

Big fall in electricity sector emissions since carbon tax   Peter Hannam, 5 Feb 14 ENVIRONMENT EDITOR, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector are down about 7.6 per cent since the carbon tax was introduced in July 2012, or the equivalent of about14.8 million tonnes.

This reduction, revealed in the September-quarter National Greenhouse Gas Inventory figures released on Wednesday, was mostly countered by rises in emissions from sectors of the economy uncovered or only partially covered by the carbon price…….

Emissions from the power sector have been dropping, particularly since the introduction of a $23 a tonne price on carbon in mid-2012, making renewable energy supplies more attractive. Demand for electricity has also been dropping as manufacturing shrinks and energy efficiency efforts take hold.

Pollution from transportation, not covered by the carbon tax, has been rising steadily, while emissions from coalmine expansion and new gas plants have been soaring. The latter two sources are only partially covered by the carbon tax, now at $24.15 per tonne, with offsets or free permits reducing the cost to polluters.

John Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute, said companies in sectors with rising emissions, such as industrial processes, were often the recipients of free permits, particularly in trade-exposed industries.

‘Major headache’

For liquefied natural gas producers, the free permits covered about 65 per cent of their emissions, Mr Connor said……….

Greens leader Christine Milne, however, said emissions from the power sector had fallen each quarter since the carbon price had been introduced, and said Mr Hunt was ‘‘cherry picking’’ the data to ‘‘justify the Abbott government’s ideological opposition to effective action on global warming.’’

“Significant decreases in the electricity sector emissions have been neutralised by increasing fugitive emissions because of the Abbott government’s open slather rush to support the dangerous coal seam gas industry and coal mines,” Senator Milne said.

‘‘Reducing free permits and ending fossil fuel subsidies to coal and gas would help to drive down emissions but the Abbott government is keen to maintain the culture of entitlement in those industries,’’ she said…….http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/big-fall-in-electricity-sector-emissions-since-carbon-tax-20140205-320a6.html

February 6, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics