|
October 10, 2011
The Gillard Government's carbon price legislation should pass the House of Representative this week. The the die is cast. Australia has set out on a low carbon, renewable energy path. However, Big Business---eg., Manufacturing Australia ---and its publicists and their allies in News Ltd's media are still out in the public sphere actively campaigning against it.
These anti-science "Luddites" are proud to be old-fashioned and out-of-touch with millions of informed Australians. They are determined to continue with their phony public debate about climate science, when in fact that debate is absent from the one arena where our scientific knowledge is formed.
The reform blockers are now calling for the introduction of pricing this greenhouse gas market externality (it is to be priced at $23 a tonne for three years from next July) to be deferred. This pricing mechanism, which distorts the market to make carbon-based products relatively more expensive, is premised on the ‘‘polluter pays principle’’; and it aims to internalise into the market as many of the negative externalities of power generation as possible.
The harmful environmental consequences of economic production based on using energy from coal-fired power stations continues to be downplayed--the 'science is not settled' talking point. This is then is used by News Ltd to obscure the issue of market externality and the failure of the free market to deal with the greenhouse pollution issue. News Ltd's distortions and deceptions on this issue are an example of how the Australian media has failed Australian citizens.
The implication of the negative position is that because certain environmental costs of production are not reflected in the market cost of energy, then the externalities are not priced into the marketplace. Consequently, the associated environmental degradation will also be ‘‘locked- in’’ and, as a consequence, more environmentally benign technologies could be ‘‘locked-out’’.
The manufacturing sector is not talking about the opportunities present to it from the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, or the growth that will come from the need to build markets for new energy technologies. Their whole case is primarily based on energy from coal exhibiting a clear absolute cost advantage. They want to keep that advantage (the 'international competitiveness' talking point) and to hell with the costs resulting from the impact of climate change attributable to the emissions of greenhouse gases.
They have been able to block reform because of the large role for emissions-intensive industries in the political process. The political reality is that the carbon pricing legislation will be passed. Next in line is the closure of the most polluting of the coal-fired power plants (eg., Hazelwood in the La Trobe Valley and the Port Augusta power stations in South Australia) and to provide replacement energy capacity. This is part of the carbon pricing package--Clean Energy Future Package-- and the energy transformation needs to be done in a way that protects communities and workers.
The Coalition continues to be in a wrecking mode on climate policy with Abbott spending his usual week spreading doom and gloom about the carbon tax and working up his smart lines for media grabs. The Coalition's policy cupboard is looks to be very threadbare (its reduce taxes, make big spending cuts, have a big budget surplus and fund all promises).
|
Gary,
You seem not to care that people are hurting. People that are already on or under the line of their budgets.
You seem to put all your effort into blaming the opposition and denialists and place no value on the opinions of the ordinary people that have x amount of dollars a week and must make it work.
You probably need to get out more Gary and talk to people that are beneath your social circles. Try some volunteering maybe. It would be good for you.