SINCE Kevin Rudd became Prime Minister of Australia we have signed Kyoto and there has been a commitment to an Emissions Trading Scheme – what his government calls a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
It was to start next year, but according to a surprise announcement yesterday, the scheme has been delayed a year.
In announcing the delay the Prime Minister described it all as “hard” and “difficult” and “complex” policy made harder, more difficult and more complex as a consequence of the global financial crisis.
I am not sure the financial crisis makes this obviously complex financial intervention any more complex – but certainly less politically palatable.
When well known geologist and climate skeptic, Bob Carter, reported on his presentation to a parliamentary committee considering the proposed legislation just two weeks ago he wrote:
“The committee mostly needs help with fashioning politically feasible solutions to the incredible mess that they now find themselves in.”
Yesterday’s announcement that the scheme will now be delayed, and significantly changed with a fixed price period and an increasing in the target for emissions reduction to 25 percent by 2020, suggests the government is grappling with the issue of what Professor Carter described as fashioning feasible solutions.
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Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.