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The great Coalition climate change kerfuffle
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So let’s go through where the Coalition is at on climate change. There’s a residual commitment, from last year’s Brendan Nelson-induced turmoil, to an emissions trading scheme in 2011 or 2012. The Coalition referred the Government’s White Paper to an independent consultant, David Pierce, who has nearly completed his work. Abandoning the 2011-12 start date will look awfully messy, especially given, as Michelle Grattan notes, it was one of the issues over which Nelson imploded. In January Malcolm Turnbull also committed the Coalition to exploring the carbon mitigation benefits of re-vegetation, non-household building energy efficiency and biosequestration via bio-char. Usage of biochar by the agricultural sector could be incorporated into the ETS, the Coalition suggested, via an “opt-in” approach. Turnbull suggested that together they could lead to significantly lower emissions than under the Government’s ETS targets. They’re all good ideas and the Government should be aggressively pursuing them. The Howard Government should have pursued them before 2007. Whoever was the Howard Government’s last Environment Minister might at some point explain why it didn’t. Strictly speaking, these proposals and the ETS complement each other. A properly rolled-out biochar initiative — and the science is mixed on whether it is viable — would need an ETS to make it economic for farmers. It costs a lot to slow-burn agricultural waste and then return the product to the soil. There was a kerfuffle last week over carbon tax, which we partly contributed to. It was suggested that the Coalition was suddenly considering a carbon tax. No one in the Coalition deviated from the position that they were predisposed from an ETS, but there were other options like carbon taxes and the point was to focus on what reduced emissions, not the mechanism. All of that is eminent common sense, particularly in light of the complete dud of an ETS Penny Wong has produced, which comparatively makes an effective carbon tax a suddenly more appealing option. There was no division between the Coalition climate change triumvirate of Turnbull, Andrew Robb and Greg Hunt — a split of responsibilities that so far is one of the few success stories of the Turnbull leadership. But there are plenty of divisions with the Nationals. They notionally have a similar position to the Liberals. However, Ron Boswell and Barnaby Joyce have made it clear, including through their ranting and abuse of officials at Estimates this week, that they’ll have nothing to do with an ETS. In Boswell’s case, it’s because he thinks the planet is getting colder. Turnbull’s “green carbon” proposal is driven by two political problems: how to avoid being identified — okay, even more identified — with climate scepticism by the Government, especially if it opposes the ETS, and how to win internal support, especially from the Nats, with “no regrets” carbon abatement measures. The first problem looks like getting worse before it gets better. This morning WA Liberal and veteran greenhouse denialist Dennis Jensen launched a petition claiming that the world was cooling, and that climate change was entirely natural. Jennifer Marohasy of the IPA-linked “Australian Environment Foundation”, composed of climate sceptics, and land-clearing and timber industry advocates, joined him. The Turnbull goal of somehow outflanking the Government from the Left by talking of bigger targets via energy efficiency and biochar would be virtually impossible even without the likes of Jensen (who has his counterparts in the ALP, but they don’t feel the urge to advertise their flatearther credentials). The Coalition is branded as the party of climate change inaction and it will take many years to wear off that brand, if it ever can or its backbenchers will let it. And the Government will be helpfully reinforcing the label of climate sceptics at every turn. Turnbull might have more success in winning support from the Nationals for a “green carbon” initiative if it means handouts for farmers. But proper revegetation involves difficult issues like ending land clearing and encouraging carbon sinks — two things which send Nationals to the barricades. The pressure was on the Government last week over its ridiculous ETS inquiry and the apparently ceaseless whinging from industry about the need for delay or a soft start-up (Alan Mitchell demolished the industry case today in the AFR in a cut-out-and-keep piece on how the sooner we start moving to a low-carbon economy the better). If the Government can somehow resist playing overt politics with the issue, the pressure will inevitably swing back onto the Coalition and its internal divisions. Turnbull can talk about his green carbon proposals, but the question will always come back to whether the Coalition will back the Government’s ETS — not least because his green carbon proposals don’t actually work that well in the absence of some sort of price signal for carbon, especially biochar. Turnbull has so far made the most of a truly bad hand on the issue, but he can’t avoid the ETS issue for much longer. |
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10 Comments
‘roger gestetner’ was obviously watching their 7.30 Report in a parallel universe or perhaps his memory under the influence of his obvious prejudice substituted the assessment from Wong’s pitifully poor show the evening before.
Malcolm Turnbull performed very well on 730 Report last night. He and so very many others have attacked the Rudd/Wong White Paper. And quite rightly.
Shackling Australia simultaneously to a futile millstone and an inequitable trading position would be bad at the best of times.
bombastoboy looked and sounded awful on 7.30 report last night. didn’t know his lines, didn’t know the detail, couldn’t argue the politics. a disaster.
Penny Wong seems a little confused about her own ETS and the ‘flexibility’ of her carbon caps. So the debate has a long way to go and certainly one gets the impression that the government are having serious doubts about which way to proceed. Its a far cry from those heady days a little over 12 months ago when anyone who questioned the wisdom of a 2010 deadline, the necessity of having China and India on board, the possibilty that employment would shift off-shore and the actual emissions targets being proposed , was shouted down as a climate change sceptic.
Howard was always on the money. His employment record seems a veritable ‘nirvana’ now. The business community will certainly want more clarity from the government than is presently evident.
JamesK, would you mind elaborating on what this comment:
“Shackling Australia simultaneously to a futile millstone and an inequitable trading position would be bad at the best of times” means with respect to the Liberals desire to strengthen the CO2 target?
It’s okay to shackle us to higher targets than Labor? Discuss.
Biochar and the return to the soil of organic products - traditionally experienced in far eastern culture - is a more than positive practice. Unfortunately, due to its long-term nature and the need for global application, biochar will be unable to reduce the accelerating CO2 emissions and the rise of greenhouse gases, now at a rate of 2.2 ppm per year. Weak half measures at mitigation fall short of preventing dangerous climate change and its manifestation in extreme weather events.
I love the slightly different ideas at the Green state and national level.
Firstly we had Bob Brown salivating at “retraining” those earth r-pists, the miners in Green jobs. Probably installing insulation in suburbia. Top marks in that he did anticipate (or was leaked to) the batts idea.
Here in lovely Tasmania though, Nick (our state Green leader) isn’t so sure. Funnily enough Nick blanched at the idea of job cuts in the public service. (NOT the greens main support base in Hobart). He said “Noooo! they’ll take all their incredible skills away, let’s just reduce their hours a bit.”
So it’s no Green jobs for Nick and the Tassie PS.
On TV to-night I saw Batman in the Bat cave with the 1000’s of bats on the floor ( I thought they hung from ceilings).
Batman did the obligitory walk thru the Bat cave with nods and winks and then escaped in the Batmobile - no doubt to visit more Bat caves.
Lets see - you and I save on our green house emissions by installing bats in the celing, solar power etc etc and that is traded off to the big polluters - the effect ZERO in ETS. Lets get fair dinkum - hail the electric car- solar panels on the roof of yoyur garage to power the car and your House, turn off the electricity in High rise Govt offices and oh I forgot lets give 25 Million to Research scientists to stop Cows and sheep farting.
About the bats in the belfry - has anyone done any research as to the effectiveness of bats Vs Whirlybirds - my next door neigbour has a whirly bird and her house is much cooler - oh well lets install bats in the belfry - what was the cost again 3 Billion??? - what a bloody joke.
If all our politicians, on each side of the argument, absolutely, completely and terminally f-ck up the whole environmental problem, and I would be offering odds of 100-1 against them achieving anything. We are stuffed. By then, the government will have to bring in a two child policy. Because, as demonstrated by the state of Victoria where we have gone from about a million to 3.8 million people, without providing infrastructure. The power fails when we hit forty degrees plus. I think it got to 48 degrees. At least all the religious fundamentalists will have a ball assaulting everyone who votes for this policy. Just as they do to women coming out of an abortion clinic. So brave! So Aussie! So patriotic! so much for Aussie mateship!
It’s a pity about Turnbull. He does have so many fine attributes. Street smarts, grasp of finance, highly-intelligent etc. It’s just that I could never be fooled into thinking this man really cares what happens to the country. Especially when he delivers such deathless comments as ‘I understand how people feel having to rent houses. Because once I had to rent accomodation’. (probably in the midst of moving to his hugely expensive suburb-wherever that is in Sydne Perhaps for a whole week. Such is the injustice of life! Pity about the poor bast-rds who have to do it for life.
As for Ron Boswell, he should join Dr Johnson and his cat in their grave.
So many people see the words freedom of speech and mistake it for freedom to make horses’-ars-es of themselves.
Are you serious Ev or are you just pretending to be a juvenile?
Rudd and Wong are committing Australia unilaterally to a target and a system that has not been agreed internationally.
Nothing Australia does will slow the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
if legislation is introduced to Parliament on the basis that Rudd and Wong have suggested and in line with the White Paper it should not be passed.