Professor Garnaut has thrown down the gauntlet with the release of his draft report on climate change which calls for the introduction of an emissions trading scheme without delay. Initial reaction from various interest groups is positive. The challenge for the Rudd Government is to take the tough decisions and begin implementing the climate change policies for which it was elected. We should see the details around August/September.
Meanwhile the federal opposition are maintaining its support for a climate change policy as long as it won’t cost anything and we don’t actually have to do anything. Nelson and Turnbull reckon that a carbon trading scheme is way too complicated to introduce any time before 2012. How hard can it be? Australia is awash with economists – surely it can’t be difficult for them to come up with a scheme? Determine the targets, establish pricing mechanisms and Bob’s your uncle. But then again, maybe the Liberals want to buy some time to keep it alive as an election issue – seeing how the petrol excise worked so well for them. It will be much harder to exploit fear and apprehension once the scheme is in place, the details known, and the punters are just getting on and dealing with it as they see fit.
Filed under: Economics, Environment, Politics, Climate Change, Garnaut Report
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