Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Carbon Trading

What will an ETS do for Australia’s Environment?

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blue gum plantation w_vic nov_06AN historic piece of legislation, The Carbon Pollution Reduction Bill, currently rests on the Senate table which, if passed, will have a huge impact on Australia’s economic and social future.  The legislation will next be considered on August 13th.   If passed what will this mean for the Australian environment?

It is generally agreed that the legislation is intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane.  However, given the big global polluters including China have no intensions of signing up to such a scheme, it is also generally agreed that an Australian emissions trading scheme will have no significant impact on global emissions or global temperatures. 

But in terms of economics how big will the impact be and what will the flow on effect be in terms of Australian industries and as a consequence the Australian environment. [Read more…] about What will an ETS do for Australia’s Environment?

Carbon Trading and Dinner: A Note from Barnaby Joyce

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IT has become apparent that there is a general lack of understanding in the community about exactly what an emissions tradings scheme (ETS) is. People may understand the sentiment that surrounds it but they don’t really understand how it works and how it will affect them…

If you live on a diet of naturally grown wild berries and lentils, which you scavenge for in your back yard, then you’d also probably be OK. But if you’re associated with the consumption of food, that’s either grown with the use of carbon intensive processes, or if you like to eat beef, mutton or lamb, which involves the emission of methane and is apparently a super form of carbon, then under Mr Rudd’s proposal, you’ll potentially have to pay for the privilege. [Read more…] about Carbon Trading and Dinner: A Note from Barnaby Joyce

Retaliatory Tariffs for Carbon Sceptics

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In a world with a global carbon price, carbon efficiency will also become a new competitive battleground. Those economies that offer a more energy-efficient operating environment will become increasingly more attractive places to invest. Economies that refuse to act on climate change will run the risk of retaliatory tariffs from others.  Read more here from Australia’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.

Reducing Emissions Must Ultimately Mean Less Stuff

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Forest 006 blog July 09WESTERN governments are trying to have it both ways: they want to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and they want to stimulate economic growth by us spending more money including on stuff.   But this is not realistic. 

Either the government impresses on the population that it must be content with less including smaller families, smaller houses and fewer pairs of shoes etcetera or there will be more emissions.

I’m happy to go along with less – I’ve never aspired to a luxurious lifestyle or a big family.   But most of the rest of the population doesn’t seem to get it?

Viv Forbes does – see below, but Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t.  [Read more…] about Reducing Emissions Must Ultimately Mean Less Stuff

Copenhagen in December: The Decline of the West – And Money

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shanghai_skyline_gIT is generally recognized that the west is in decline and that China will emerge as a superpower some time later this century.  

It is also generally recognised that it is the west that has spear-headed the campaign against the so-called climate crisis.  And the west is desperate to get the rest of the world to a United Nations meeting in Copenhagen in December to discuss solutions to this issue.  

The UN’s top climate negotiator, a Dutchman Yvo De Boer, has already said the west will have to put $10 billion on the table to get the developing world – read China and India – to agree to anything at Copenhagen.

[Read more…] about Copenhagen in December: The Decline of the West – And Money