Antinuclear

Climate, Nuclear News – what’s in the budget.

Climate Change  “is the great moral challenge of our generation” –   Kevin Rudd  2007.

After 7 years – what has happened to Australia’s enthusiasm for action on Climate Change?  Sadly, Australians have elected a Climate Denialist government – a government that makes John Howard’s look like a radical  greenie..  And, hardly noticed in the swathe of cuts to welfare,  to youth affairs, homelessness programs, health, education, the Budget’s attack on renewable energy is barely noticed.

Except for the children of the rich, the future is very insecure. That’s the near term future.  For ALL of Australia’s children , the future in the changing climate is insecure, indeed, fearful.  Ignoring world trends for action, ignoring President Obama’s call for climate action, ignoring the renewable energy revolution already underway, Tony Abbott has acted faithfully in the service of the polluting industries.

 The Budget:

•  abolishes Australian Renewable Energy Agency. (the agency’s remaining unallocated funds of about A$1 billion could be returned to the general revenue pool).
• moved to eliminate the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation
• dumped The million solar roofs program ( a core pre-election promise) “In place of the million roofs program, which was at once stage budgeted for $1 billion, the government has announced a derisable $2.1 million for “community” solar projects on RSL and bowling clubs and the like in 7 marginal electorates. (Yes, they are that cynical)”.– Giles Parkinson. 
• cut $21.7 million over four years through the amalgamation of the National Environmental Research Programme and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme to form a new National Environmental Science Programme.
• slashed $111.4 million over four years from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the main scientific research body.
• axed Clean Technology Innovation Program
• frozen funding for the Cooperative Research Centres
•  drops  election promise to re-establish Low Carbon Australia – a body that sought to provide specialist financing for energy efficiency projects.
• will replace the Carbon Tax by Emissions Reduction Fund  The ERF allows farmers and land managers to earn carbon credits by storing carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the land. These credits can be sold to people and businesses wishing to offset their emissions.
•  cut $459.3 million (or around three-quarters) of funds from the Carbon Capture and Storage Flagships Program,
• cut $16.8 million over two years from the National Low Emissions Coal Initiative
• cut $10.0 million  from the budget from the Bureau of Meteorology

Uranium industry has  a poor short term future and  a poor long term future – from World Nuclear Association analyst, Steve Kidd.

May 14, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews