Garnaut Review and other Media Rumblings

The full blown Garnaut Climate Change Review was released on Tuesday, and every jumped up, no good polluting industry with a vested interest in discrediting or delaying the final report are hard at it, and the media is just lapping it up and feeding it as crap to the Australian public. This excerpt from an article in the Australian today titled “Doubts raised over Ross Garnaut’s carbon emission targets“, listed a few opinions about whether Professor Garnaut has the right emission targets going forward. He listed that 450ppm CO2e is hard to achieve (of course it’s hard, but worth doing), and a more realistic target of 550ppm would probably be accepted by world leaders. He did emphasis that 450ppm was a better outcome (no flies on you, Prof).

I personally believe that if we are to halt runaway climate change, we need to be aiming at 350ppm Co2e, which is definitely do-able, however it would encroach on our societies existing lifestyle. Having said that, if I can reduce our families footprint, and many of my readers are attempting similar lifestyle changes, then everyone else can give it a damn good try. However, that will not happen unless it is legislated. The majority of people will not change their behaviours unless forced to by law.

The biggest insult in this article comes at the very end. It made me so angry that such a two-faced statement could be printed. It is the coal industry’s reaction to the whole trading proposal.

“Meanwhile, the coal industry is concerned about a recommendation, buried in Professor Garnaut’s report, to more than double the levy on coal producers to boost funding on research into clean coal technologies.

The industry is already collecting $1 billion over 10 years from 2006 to fund demonstration projects for the carbon capture and underground storage technology that strips emissions from coal-fired power stations. But Professor Garnaut said this amount was relatively low, and the industry should contribute about $2.5 billion over the next decade.

Australian Coal Association executive director Ralph Hillman said: “The coal industry is already making a fair and reasonable contribution.””

Now that would be a fair and reasonable contribution to our civilisation, Mr Hillman!

Now in other news, it looks like our new Greens Senator representing WA has some common sense and some balls. Senator Scott Ludlam has stated in his first parliamentary address that “The fossil-fuel economy is a cancer“. Well, you won’t get any argument from this humble greenie Senator, I am with you all the way. Now if you can just convince some of your fellow elected officials, that what you say is true, then you might just create a groundswell of good deed, forward thinking politicians. Alas, mon ami, I will not hold my breath, waiting for that day. A good first address, keep up the excellent work. Maybe some of the senate will stay awake long enough to catch on!