Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Elections

How Abbott Must Recast Coalition Climate Policy

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KEVIN Rudd took over as Australian Prime Minister replacing Julia Gillard on June 26, 2013. Since then, with the announcement by Mr Rudd that he now intends to bring forward the transition from a strict carbon tax to an emissions trading scheme, the politics of climate change and carbon taxing have changed dramatically. If the Opposition, led by Tony Abbott, is to stay competitive, and become relevant, it urgently needs a proper alternative plan to address climate change.

The answer is to introduce a new climate policy based upon preparation for, and adaptation to, all weather and climate related events whether they be of natural or of potentially human causation. Such a policy could be practical, cost-effective and efficacious, which is why it has been recommended by so many independent commentators and expert scientists over the last five years. This adaptive policy is well summarized in the last chapter of Bob Carter’s new book, ‘Taxing Air: Facts and Fallacies About Climate Change’ [1]. Tax Air book

Yes, Professor Carter, like Mr Rudd does believe in climate change and the need for a national climate policy.

The advantage of Carter’s plan, however, over anything that Mr Rudd is currently proposing is that it is open to the possibility of global cooling, as well as global warming.

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Petition Urging the Australian PM to Delay Introduction of the Carbon Tax Legislation

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Hi,   My apologies if you’ve already seen this, but I’m giving it as wide a distribution as I can and hope that you will do the same.

This link is to a petition urging the Prime Minister to delay the introduction of carbon tax legislation until after an election:

http://www.epetitions.comeonaustralia.com/petition/sign/pid/9

Please sign the petition if you agree with its terms.  Thanks, Case Smit

‘Carbon Tax’ Hurt Labor Vote in NSW

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Tonight, in the Australian state of New South Wales, Barry O’Farrell has swept 16 years of Labor government into history with a landslide victory.   The magnitude of his 17 per cent swing has surprised many.  Labor is likely to end up with as few as 20 seats in the 93-seat parliament.

During the election campaign, while Mr O’Farrell could have played it safe and stuck to state issues, he choose to also campaigned on the federal issue of the carbon tax.   Remarkably, Mr O’Farrell also mentioned the carbon tax and the need to “fight the carbon tax” in his victory speech.

According to Samantha Maiden writing in the Herald Sun: While the outcome was regarded as a foregone conclusion, Labor MPs at a state and federal level complained the Prime Minister’s decision to announce a carbon tax hurt the campaign.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/election-leads-to-labors-bloodbath/story-fn7x8me2-1226028702873

We Need a Steady Voice: A Note from Phil Sawyer

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Phil Port Lincoln_May 2007I am convinced that a competently run and managed party, overtly running on a pro-science platform, could win enough Senate seats in the Australian Parliament at the next election to take control from the independents and the Greens. This post briefly explores the potential for success of such a party, and invites responses from readers.

To the extent that the name should be a signifier of party identity, I have suggested that the Science Greens or Green Science, would be a good name. However, some sounding boards of mine have suggested that “science” has a bad name in the public mind! Others insist that calling oneself any kind of ” green ” will be a complete put-off with large slabs of the potential constituency.  Maybe.  However, such a name does imply that there are other kinds of greenies, ones that are patently not scientific.  And that is the starting point of the platform, as outlined below.

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Top Green Story of 2008

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WHAT was the most significant event of 2008 from an environmental perspective?  According to website grist.org it was the election of Barack Obama to President of the US. 

The story by Katharine Wroth and David Roberts lists the top 10 “green stories of 2008” with “Obamania” as number 1 on the basis: 

“[Obama] has already assembled a seasoned green team, with Clinton EPA administrator Carol Browner in a new executive office to coordinate energy and climate efforts. Three key positions — energy secretary, White House science adviser, and NOAA administrator — will be occupied by highly regarded professional scientists who have raised alarms about climate change — respectively, Steven Chu, John Holdren, and Jane Lubchenco.

“There will be a champion of environment justice and green jobs, Rep. Hilda Solis, as labor secretary, and a new White House Office of Urban Policy.

“Two close allies, Nancy Pelosi and Henry Waxman, are in key environmental positions in the House of Representatives, and Dems have 58 or 59 seats in the Senate, where most green legislation has gone to die.”

US Elections

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Democrat Barack Obama is the new President of the United States.   In his acceptance speech he promised to be a President for all Americans.    He made only one oblique reference to climate change speaking of our earth in peril.

Oklahoma Senator and Republican Jim Inhofe, the only outspoken climate change sceptic in Washington, won a third term.