September 24, 2007
The newspaper headlines say that John Howard has gone green on climate change. He has outlined a scheme to generate between 15%-20% of Australia's energy from low emission sources by 2010, including renewables (solar and wind) and new technology gas-fired power stations.
Hang a mo. Wasn't Howard opposed to setting targets around climate change? Hasn't Howard been arguing that the ALP is an economic wrecker because it has committed to a greenhouse reduction target ? Wasn't that the core of his attack on the ALP over climate change?
Oh I see, what is being offered is an amalgam of a series of existing state and federal energy programs into a single national regime. It's a rationalization to cut red tape, as the scheme's target is simply the sum total of existing and planned targets under the Commonwealth and states' energy target schemes.
Oh, I see the reason why the scheme's low emission source 'includes' renewables and gas fired power station is because it also includes clean coal technology--coal fired stations equipped with carbon capture and storage. I'm sure the scheme is open to nuclear power.
So we have been offered little more than a bit of housekeeping by Turnbull and Howard. Why now? Of course, Al Gore is in the country arguing for the ratification of Kyoto, the Howard Government will end the mandatory renewable scheme, and the United Nations has a summit that aims to break a deadlock in efforts to craft a global treaty on greenhouse gases.
So Howard has to be seen to be doing something, doesn't he. Newspaper headlines indicate he is doing something in terms of policy.
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Gary,
didn't John Howard call Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth a “piece of good entertainment”?