G20 to Australia: "You're on your own" on carbon

5 November, 2011 by

"Congratulations, Julia, on wrecking your economy"

“Courageous” is how the G20 describes Australia’s action on climate change! What a wonderful euphemism for bat-sh*t crazy. Yet Gillard and Combet will no doubt still argue that Australia is being “left behind” and that it’s all in the “national interest” – delusional!

As Europe sinks into economic oblivion, the US debt creeps up by the day, and a GFC Mk II looks ever more likely, the rest of the world is starting to realise that there are more important things than pointless environmental gestures which will be hugely damaging for standards of living but which will do nothing for the climate.

JULIA Gillard’s introduction of a carbon tax has been praised at the latest economic summit for showing the way on climate change but Australia is being isolated within the G20 on carbon pricing as members retreat due to changing priorities and economic pressure.

As the government prepares to cut the carbon tax debate in the Senate to pass the bills with Greens’ support, the final communique from the G20 summit in France recognises Australia’s leading role on climate change.

But with the increased economic pressures from the global debt crisis and a shift in priority to food security, particularly in Africa, climate change action is dropping down the order of importance.

Critics of the G20’s lack of action on climate change have praised Australia’s action as “courageous” and said the diminishing priority for climate change was a “big problem for the G20”.

The shift at the G20 and the praise for Australia expected in the communique highlights the Gillard government’s move ahead of the developed economies on carbon pricing.

While Australia is pursuing the most comprehensive carbon tax in the world to combat the effects of climate change, other G20 members are retreating from emissions trading schemes to cut greenhouse gas emissions, such as Canada, while others are giving greater emphasis to dealing with the immediate effects of climate change. [In other words, adaptation – Ed.]

Australia (and Gillard) are turning into standing jokes on the world stage. How embarrassing.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

G20 fails to agree on finances of "fighting climate change"

9 November, 2009 by

Life after Copenhagen…

Life after Copenhagen…

Of course they failed, because despite how much hype surrounds “tackling climate change”, when push comes to shove, governments aren’t really stupid enough to bankrupt their own economies, by handing over billions of dollars to deal with a non-problem.

The G20 talked big but delivered little on climate finance, campaigners said, as the clock ticks down to the summit in Copenhagen next month.

One of the key talking points on Saturday for finance ministers meeting in the Scottish town of St Andrews had been working out how to deliver cash from rich to developing countries [there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, in black and white – Ed] so they can tackle climate change.

The G20 agreed to work for an “ambitious outcome” at the UN summit at Copenhagen, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and “recognised the need to increase significantly and urgently the scale and predictability of finance”.

But there was no agreement on how money should be delivered, although there would be ”further work” on the issue, the final communique said.

Nor was there a clear figure for how much G20 countries would commit.

And then we have to suffer the inevitable complaints from the enviro-headbangers:

The British charity Oxfam’s senior policy adviser, Max Lawson, said: “As the clock ticks towards Copenhagen, the hundreds of millions of people around the world who are already suffering as a result of climate change cannot afford to wait any longer for a deal.”

No exaggeration there, clearly.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , ,
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