Our political system in its current form is not capable of addressing climate change

I don’t think we have to go as far as the political system to find the culprit of our inability to confront global warming. We are not built for long-term across the board compromise. Also, we have this usually commendable resistance to jumping at shadows. To not be spooked. It’s going to get us into trouble, this time. That isn’t a herd of woolly mammoths on the horizon.

The “ratchet up” assumption is one we cannot make – all evidence to date suggests this simply won’t happen.

It is much easier to ratchet up (or down) a carbon tax as required. But our politicians want the option to buy indulgences (offsets) for when Australia inevitable exceeds even the pathetic 5% committed reduction targets.

Our political system in its current form is not capable of addressing climate change – as Copenhagen is demonstrating.

The question is whether opposing the CPRS is likely to lead to a better ultimate outcome than passing it.

One assumption in all this is that given a couple of years, Labor will come to its senses and propose something much closer to the Green position. I’m not sure that that is a warranted assumption.

But I don’t think your support for Rudd’s heavily compromised ETS (CPRS) is warranted. Treasury modelling shows it won’t reduce emissions until after 2030. It also ignores Garnaut’s strong recommendations on no free permits or cash payments to polluters (corporate welfare), nor exempt agriculture and petrol.

We need an immediate cost on carbon and a simple tax would be the best way to do this – not a market based system that provides no abatement.

Immedidate legislated energy efficiency standards and a national gross feed in tariff are needed too.

http://www.zazzle.com.au/commie_pinko_bastard_tshirt-235721154603274138

Next you will be trying to tell us to say Boono

Or maybe Turnbull simply found the quote in a big book of quotations and liked it …

Shouldn’t it be a great big book of quotations, Brett @56?

Wow, Pig Iron a progressive! Whoda thunk it?

Paul Burns @74:

I shudder to think what kind of horror movie Nick Minchin (Sorry, Tony Abbott) has in mind for the Australian people, but it won’t be one where you munch cheerfully on popcorn and send Jaffas rolling down the aisles. More likely the kind where they carry the audience out because they’ve dropped dead with fright.

The scene opens with an unhappy child looking out the window at all the snow. Its Wyndham,(WA) 2020. The child turns to an off screen adult and asks, “Mummy, why did the commies take away our protective carbon dioxide atmospheric layer?” …..