Viv Forbes from the Carbon Sense Coalition today called on the Australian Government to announce an immediate moratorium on plans to introduce an Emissions Trading Scheme.
“In the midst of global financial turmoil and plummeting profits for Australia’s backbone industries, it is irresponsible to maintain uncertainty on who will be affected by these taxes, when and by how much.
“Australia is more reliant on mining, transport, electricity, cement, smelting, refining, farming, tourism and trade than any other country in the world. Taxes on emissions of carbon dioxide will reduce growth and jobs in all of these industries. The longer this uncertainty remains, the more jobs will be lost or go overseas.
“Cap and tax schemes will soon be quite unnecessary for most countries because the recession is already cutting emissions as mines and factories close, transport and travel contract, and the production of steel, cement and electricity falls.
“This will be a good taste of the effect on Cap and Tax rules on the economy. People everywhere will suddenly realise that life was far better with a job, and no one except green plants will be able to notice there is a growing shortage of harmless, invisible carbon dioxide plant food in the air.
“Slowly the world is coming to their senses on this Global Warming hysteria. Just this week China and India rejected the suggestion that they curb their emissions of CO2, and Italy and Poland said they would veto EU plans unless changes were made. The US congress is also focussed on jobs, not global warming myths. Even the New Zealand government is having a re-think.
“The Australian government says they will do anything to promote jobs and growth. An important and urgent first step for any jobs preservation policy is to announce that this Emissions Trading sword dangling over the head of every Australian business has been removed, for a guaranteed 5 years at least.”
Breaking news:
Italian Veto
Italy has announced it will veto new EU Greenhouse gas limits unless it gets concessions. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called the plan unrealistic and his environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, said Italy would reject it in its current form. The EU may wait a year before agreement can be reached on new climate change policies. (
Source)
China and India Resist Curbs.
China and India spearhead calls for rich nations to dig into their pockets to tackle climate change but will resist targeted curbs on their own carbon emissions. China proposed that developed nations earmark 0.7% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to help developing countries tackle climate change. (
Source)
Poland is not France.
“Poland is not France which has nuclear power.” says Dowgielewicz, Poland’s Minister for Europe.
"We are 38 million people in the middle of Europe and we are behind the rest. We have to catch up with developments in your countries - and that is in everyone's interest. And if you say to us - a country that gets 95 percent of its energy from coal - that we have to change everything, it's just a dream. A nice dream, but a dream nonetheless," he adds.
Viv Forbes——
Bio and Archives
Viv Forbes, Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition, has spent his life working in exploration, mining, farming, infrastructure, financial analysis and political commentary. He has worked for government departments, private companies and now works as a private contractor and farmer.
Viv has also been a guest writer for the Asian Wall Street Journal, Business Queensland and mining newspapers. He was awarded the “Australian Adam Smith Award for Services to the Free Society” in 1988, and has written widely on political, technical and economic subjects.
