Cut Australia's Carbon Emissions
It is time to do more about cutting Australia's green house gas emissions. Australia has one of the highest, if not the highest, carbon emissions per capita and the low costs of electricity today is mortgaging our children's future.
We need to put in place policies to reduce and offset carbon emissions, especially from coal-fired power stations. While the Australian Democrats have been calling for such a move for many years the current federal coalition government is sitting on its hands. Many state Labor governments are taking moves to address the situation but not in an overly coordinated way. For example, the NSW government has initiated an emissions trading scheme and the Queensland government is investing $300 million in research and development in "clean" coal.
Carbon trading can work now to encourage a reduction in overall green house gas levels, however, it does enable polluters to side-step their obligations to some extent. Clean coal research is necessary but will take at least ten years to begin to make an impact and is still not a renewable energy source. Wind, solar and hydro power schemes are renewable but at present not scalable to take sufficient load off Australia's reliance on coal-fired power stations.
We need political leadership (rather than the current recalcitrance) at the federal level to pursue a balanced and coordinated approach, both across the country and across the variety of strategies that will address the problem. We also need to understand that there must be some sacrifice in regard electricity and other fuel costs because we are on borrowed time and not paying the full costs. It may well be possible to offset these additional costs with savings through energy efficiency and minimising energy use.
Technorati Tags: Australian politics, Australian Democrats, Carbon Trading, Clean Coal
We need to put in place policies to reduce and offset carbon emissions, especially from coal-fired power stations. While the Australian Democrats have been calling for such a move for many years the current federal coalition government is sitting on its hands. Many state Labor governments are taking moves to address the situation but not in an overly coordinated way. For example, the NSW government has initiated an emissions trading scheme and the Queensland government is investing $300 million in research and development in "clean" coal.
Carbon trading can work now to encourage a reduction in overall green house gas levels, however, it does enable polluters to side-step their obligations to some extent. Clean coal research is necessary but will take at least ten years to begin to make an impact and is still not a renewable energy source. Wind, solar and hydro power schemes are renewable but at present not scalable to take sufficient load off Australia's reliance on coal-fired power stations.
We need political leadership (rather than the current recalcitrance) at the federal level to pursue a balanced and coordinated approach, both across the country and across the variety of strategies that will address the problem. We also need to understand that there must be some sacrifice in regard electricity and other fuel costs because we are on borrowed time and not paying the full costs. It may well be possible to offset these additional costs with savings through energy efficiency and minimising energy use.
Technorati Tags: Australian politics, Australian Democrats, Carbon Trading, Clean Coal
Labels: australia, environment, sustainability
posted by chippery at
9:28 PM
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