In one corner, those who say in 200 years or less Australia will be under water as the earth warms, the ice caps melt and water levels rise. In the other corner, those who vehemently deny such claims as mass hysteria. What do those in the political parties who set Australia’s policies believe? And what are they doing (or not doing) as the case may be to address climate change and global warming? OUTinPerth’s political insiders (who again, due to their work within the parties remain anonymous) take the temperature of this very hot issue.
The truth hurts. It doesn’t matter which way John Howard and the Liberal party spin it – on climate change they have been asleep at the wheel.
In fact, it gets worse. Until the polls showed Australians were getting increasingly concerned about the challenges associated with climate change, John Howard and his team were climate change sceptics. They didn’t even really believe the problem existed.
Let’s look at the facts when it comes to climate change.
Fact 1: John Howard has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
For 11 years, John Howard has not budged on ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Now Australia is one of the few western countries in the world not to sign up (in fact, the US is the other major one!). Not only is this downright embarrassing (it’s always great to be called an environmental vandal), but it reflects the reality that John Howard isn’t serious about finding solutions. He would rather send you a climate change flier in the mail.
Fact 2: John Howard won’t set any reduction targets
John Howard likes to spout off about setting economic targets, so why won’t he do the same for our environment? If we are serious about tackling climate change, then we need to listen to the science community and take their advice in committing to targets which will help cut greenhouse emissions.
Fact 3: Kevin Rudd will ratify Kyoto and set targets
The difference between John Howard and Kevin Rudd couldn’t be any more clear. Kevin Rudd will act decisively on climate change and ratify the Kyoto Protocol, introduce an emission trading scheme and perhaps most importantly, set a clear and defined target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050.
Fact 4: Kevin Rudd will invest in alternative energy sources.
Unlike John Howard, Kevin Rudd has committed to substantially increasing investment in renewable energy, like solar and wind power. While John Howard keeps dreaming about building nuclear reactors across Australia, Kevin Rudd plans to put a stop to any such plans. Labor will also provide incentives to make our homes more climate change friendly – like Kevin Rudd’s new initiative to provide loans of up to $10,000 to help up to 200,000 households invest in solar and practical water and energy savings devices.
Fact 5: Kevin Rudd is doing something right when Al Gore endorses his plans
Okay, I’m not trying to be smug, but it’s nice to see that environmental campaigner and former US presidential candidate Al Gore has just recently given approval to Kevin Rudd’s environmental plans.
I’ll leave it to Al Gore to finish this column off:
‘There is a clear and stark contrast difference in the positions of the two candidates: one supports ratification of the world treaty to solve the climate crisis and one opposes it.’ Al Gore, 2007.
On Climate Change policies it’s Kevin Rudd 1, John Howard 0.
There is no greater challenge in the world today than human-induced climate change. The Greens have been advocating action on climate change for nearly two decades. The Coalition and the ALP are only just starting to catch up with the debate. Unfortunately, although not surprisingly, the response particularly from the government has been short sighted and patchy.
There is now overwhelming evidence that climate change is real, measurable and that the rate of global warming is increasing. In its most recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that if present trends in global greenhouse emissions growth continue, by the end of the 21st century worldwide temperatures will be 1.1º to 6.4º C warmer than they are today. There is a growing consensus that preventing an increase of 2º C is imperative if the world is to avoid disastrous consequences.
Without significant action to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels we will cause catastrophic damage to Earth’s ecosystems and triggers social and economic upheaval. Everyone needs to play a part – from businesses through to individuals, families and communities – and government must show leadership.
Unfortunately, the federal government is taking Australia in the wrong direction. The government refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, will not commit to genuine meaningful targets for reducing carbon emissions, and continues to support coal fired and nuclear power.
The ALP policy falls short as well. Neither the government nor the ALP see the true potential for a reenergised economy focusing on safe clean energy and both are committed to fossil fuels and the coal mining industry. Instead of propping up old polluting energy sources like coal-fired and nuclear power, we need to make Australia a low carbon economy and place Australia on a sustainable footing for the future.
Australia can address climate change in an economically sustainable way. There is a strong economic argument for taking the necessary measures to combat climate change now even if it leads to some economic pain in the short term. The Stern Review says that failure to act on climate change could cost between 5% and 20% of the world’s annual GDP by the end of the century. Few commentators now doubt that the cost of doing nothing about global warming will be far higher than the cost of early action.
It’s time to get serious about climate change. Australia needs to take immediate measures to reduce greenhouse pollution, including:
Capping national emissions and establishing an emissions trading scheme;
Setting a national standard for new electricity generators to ensure investment in clean energy and rule out polluting coal;
Increasing the contribution of new renewable energy in Australia from less than 2% to 10% by 2010;
Setting an energy efficiency target and implementing projects that save both energy and money; and
Investing in safe, clean and reliable public transport.
These are measures that will start to address climate change and ensure Australia has a sustainable economic future. At such a crucial time for the environment, trust the experts with your vote!
If we put aside for a moment the fact that debate about whether global warming is caused by man is far from settled in the scientific community and the fact that findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are based on achieving consensus rather than rigidly applying scientific method, then there is increasingly a popular view that our climate is changing and that greenhouse gases are having an adverse impact on the earth’s environment.
Contrary to what you have been led to believe, Labor has been the late comer to the climate change debate.
More than a decade ago, the Coalition moved decisively to establish a climate change strategy in response to this global challenge. To give you a taste of the Coalition’s commitments: in 1997, the Coalition announced the first dedicated greenhouse agency in the world, the Australian Greenhouse Office; in 2004 the Coalition funded a National Climate Change Adaptation Plan and a dedicated climate change response plan for the Great Barrier Reef; and more recently initiatives such as the $336 million for Green Vouchers of Schools, $252 million for Solar Hot Water Rebates and the investment of billions of dollars to improve the resilience of the land have given Australians’ real, practical opportunities to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
The Coalition has a responsible, measured and deliverable policy for combating climate change – and we make no apology for taking time to carefully build a framework that protects Australia’s prosperity and makes a significant global contribution.
The Coalition strategy comprises four key elements.
Element 1. Reducing domestic emissions at minimal economic cost and developing key low emissions technologies.
Element 2. Improving energy efficiency and supporting households and communities to reduce emissions.
Element 3. Supporting world class climate science and adapting to the impacts of unavoidable climate change.
Element 4. Pursuing effective international response to climate change that involve all major emitters and that reflect our domestic policies.
Significantly, the Coalition has announced that a long term goal will be set in 2008 after careful economic analysis and a world class emissions trading system will be established by 2012. The Coalition plan is expected to make an initial contribution of an 87 million tonne a year cut in emissions by 2010 – equivalent to eliminating all emissions from the transport sector.
But what about Kyoto I hear you ask! It’s simple, the Coalition believes Australia and the world need something better than Kyoto. The original Kyoto Protocol is flawed in that it requires countries responsible for only one-third of global emissions to act, whereas countries producing the other two-thirds of the world’s greenhouse gases have no such obligations.
That said, Australia is one of only a very few countries on track to meet its Kyoto target. A global response to climate change requires a ‘new Kyoto’ approach and must include all the major greenhouse gas emitting nations (including China, India and the United States).
By contrast, Labor’s climate change can’t be trusted. Firstly, the emission trading scheme proposed by the Coalition will be broader in scope than that proposed by Labor State Governments. Secondly, Mr Rudd’s ‘target’ of a 60% unilateral cut in emissions by 2050 is a target without a plan on how to achieve to it. Thirdly, Labor can’t agree on its own policy. Peter Garrett has stated in Parliament he wants to 20% reduction by 2020!
Under Labor’s plan Australia would be poorer and the world no cooler.
