The top three
The Sunday Age publishes the results of its “OurSay” survey, and addresses the top question in an article entitled “The question is, what earthly difference can we make?”:
Jason Fong’s question was the runaway winner of the OurSay climate agenda poll.
THE policy of both major parties is to reduce Australia’s carbon dioxide emissions by 5 per cent by 2020, even though both know that, in Jason Fong’s words, it will make ”negligible” difference to global temperatures.
So the question is, why bother? If the key goal of global climate policy is to at least cap temperature increases, what difference can Australian action make? There is a factual answer to the question, and there’s a context that is more complicated. (source)
I’ll leave it up to you to decide what you think of their response. I guess ACM’s question will be answered in a fortnight’s time.
Australian Climate Madness 
a fortnight’s time is a long time in politics . Who knows you may never get a Fairfax answer if Ms Gillard catches labor’s highly contagious knife in the back.
Question number two is an example of the camel fart nonsense of vego-warmist-communism. Can’t wait for this CAGW rubbish to be put to the pyre so these anti-civilisation, anti-progress crettins can crawl back under their rocks.
Dead right. I think the SA hoped all the questions would be as laughable as that one! Oops.
It is about Australia leading by example to show the rest of the world it can be done. That is where Australia is going to make the difference
You seriously believe that China is going to take the slightest bit of notice of what Australia does? No, of course it won’t. China is far more concerned with raising millions of its population out of a life of grinding poverty than making pointless environmental gestures. Sorry about that.
Adrian, even if Australia cut it’s CO2 emissions to zero tomorrow, China alone will make up that difference in a matter of a little over 2 months. Where’s the logic?
Good point, Baldrick. Add Canada, France, Russia, Japan and Brazil to the list of countries which will NOT be implementing ETS/carbon tax. Also see
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/08/07/worldwide-co2-emissions-and-the-futility-of-any-action-in-the-west/#more-44703
I guess no one out there is paid scientific lackey land is taking any notice of CERN’s science on the subject? It is THE SUN not us……..
Oh please, SA, spare us the junk science alarmist horsefeathers.
That reminds me, anyone seen hide or hair of this snout lately?
Not sure if you left the link to the response by the Sunday Age/Herald out by accident Simon. but for those who wish to read it, it is located here:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/the-question-is-what-earthly-difference-can-we-make-20110903-1jrom.html#ixzz1WuyY7La6
There’s no surprises in the response … just the usual alarmist rhetoric. It’s far from being a robust and unbiased response, but what else would you expect from the Sunday Age/Herald.
Thanks – an oversight – I have added the link to the OP.
and they have CLOSED off the comments section……
Even if all Australians went back to living in caves and fossicking for our food (no electricity, no fires), the NORMAL increase in their CO2 levels (just the increase) by China, India and the USA alone, would more than exceed aAustralia’s tgotal CO2 levels.
So what’s all this BS about “Australia has to lead the world” on this ?
China is building nuclear power generators but simultaneously also completing gigawatt capacity, coal-fired power facilities at the rate of one per week.
And, of course, we are shipping huge quantities of coal to China!
Q. Will JuLIAR be shutting down our coal exports to ‘save the planet’?