Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for October 19, 2006

Growing Biodiesel In Northern Australia: Roger Kalla

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Outspoken liberal senator Bill Heffernan has suggested that Australia’s farmers move North to the tropical parts of Australia where there is more water.

In two recent blog posts at the GMO Pundit Website Roger Kalla asks: What would farmers grow in northern Australia?

In the first post he considers soybeans for biodiesel and animal feed: http://gmopundit.blogspot.com/2006/10/go-north-young-man-go-north-cropping.html .

And in the second cotton for biodiesel: http://gmopundit.blogspot.com/2006/10/another-biodiesel-crop-for-northern.html .

How to Count Don’t Count Planes, And Not Include Don’t Count Coal, While And We’ll Making Kyoto?

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According to Hilary Osborne writing for The Guardian:

“Emissions from air travel have doubled since 1990, to make up 6 percent of the UK’s carbon footprint. Forecasts suggest that the increase in flights will mean that by 2050, emissions from aviation could be between four and 10 times higher than they were in 1990, making it almost impossible for the government to achieve its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent.”

But according to the same article, aviation is not included in the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). So I guess it doesn’t count?*

It’s perhaps a bit like Germany excluding its new coal fired power stations?

Indeed a few months ago Germany admitted it had probably over estimated its emissions and acknowledging that it needed to tighten its greenhouse gas emissions limit in the second round of the EU’s carbon market, while at the same time suggesting that new coal plants will opt out of the ETS.

So Germany got the credits for the old coal-fired power stations it closed down, but it won’t count the new one’s it builds? At least it wants a 14 years moratorium before it starts counting them?*

How does this work? Do Germany and the aviation industry have really good negotiators?

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* Changes made to this post following comments from Steve, see below.