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This is a wonderful radio report – fairly long but please take the time to listen to it. The ABC delivers a news and current affairs service in Australia that no other service provider comes close to providing. Climate change scepticism is a mental illness of the current era. Its proponents are liars and/or fools. [...] Paul Kelly is an experienced politically savvy journalist whose views I respect who but writes for the increasingly discredited The Australian. This piece attacks Julia Gillard for abandoning Australia’s low cost fuel advantage in introducing a carbon tax. It’s putting lead in the ‘national saddlebags’ according to Kelly. This is a false picture since the [...] I listened today to historically important speeches by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister Greg Combet on the Governments’s carbon tax proposal. Of course I knew the announcement was coming but to find out the details of the proposal – in the link – and to hear such a clear and eloquent defence of [...] Report suggests 80% of world’s energy could be supplied by renewable energy sources by 2050. It is interesting how research is showing that renewables are not just green romanticism. Renewable targets are important means of getting things going – developing expertise, encouraging learning by doing, overcoming information and technology-based market failures that imply under provision [...] I took this from today’s Crikey.com who, in turn, took the substance of the article from The Guardian. The latter link worth reading since it also points out that British industry is backing this policy. [...] I have long supported use of border taxes as ‘penalties’ on exports from countries that do not address the issue of climate change through measures such as taxes. I put the ‘….’ ears around penalties as they are not really penalties as such. They are just measures that mean residents (in this case in Europe) [...] The decision by the State Government in Victoria to reject abandonment of the Hazelwood Power station – probably the dirtiest in Australia from the viewpoint of emissions – is regrettable given that the Baillieu Government supported the closure move while in opposition. It shows that the Liberal Party is paying lip service to dealing with [...] I spent Thursday at an enjoyable ANU Workshop, Australia’s Climate Policy Options at the Crawford School where I presented some theory and empirical results on carbon leakages. There were plenty of distinguished presenters (Ross Garnaut, John Quiggin among many others) and an enthusiastic (and very well-informed) audience of civil servants from the Department of Climate [...] If Jeff Bennett is quoted correctly his actions in seeking to torpedo a move to introduce a carbon tax are grossly irresponsible. That’s putting it mildly. His claims about about impacts on Australian trade are particularly silly given that the structure of the carbon tax base has not yet been agreed to. Almost certainly the export [...] Trade Minister Craig Emerson argues against border tax adjustments (BTAs) to protect import competing products subject to carbon charges in favour of emission quota handouts to local firms. The idea needs to be nuanced – as it stands it will not work effectively – but it is worth considering. The advantage of the free permit [...] There have been more squabbles in the blogosphere recently about the right of climate change ‘sceptics’ to post on sites that are concerned with climate change policy – this stoush at John quiggin’s blog is fairly typical. In this case comments began with the views of a ‘sceptic’ who reversed the main finding of a [...] I am pleased that the Australian Government will introduce a carbon tax of sorts from July next year – a common guess is that it will be about $26 per tonne CO2 although the size of the tax has not yet been announced. Then an emissions trading scheme in 3-5 years after that. The little information [...] I am preparing a paper on strategic barriers to climate negotiation. A major barrier is just stupid opposition to appreciating climate change truths because they collide with ideological priors – the need for internationally coordinated policies and taxes on carbon are offensive to those describing themselves as “free market” supporters. John Quiggin has an amusing – though pointed [...] I have been doing work on agricultural adaptations to climate change. Farmers have dealt with climate change for thousands of years – indeed the development of modern agriculture 10,000 years ago has been linked to the moderation of global climatic conditions. If farmers are smart enough then the most important task for governments is to provide [...] Crikey.com have an interesting piece comparing the ‘weak-kneeded’ approach of the Gillard Government to carbon pricing to the ‘courageous’ stance of the Hawke Government in promoting tariff reform. [...] Paul Krugman in the NYT makes powerful arguments. The reduction in the world’s wheat and other crops can be linked to a systematic pattern of adverse extreme climatic events. Is this the way that eventual action on climate change will be driven? Through threats of rising global hunger and civil strife as a consequence [...] Because of the imminent arrival of Yasi in Queensland – particularly between Port Douglas and Townsville – I have been digging around to find some information on cyclones. If the forecasts are right this Category 5 cyclone will be a catastrophic natural event with the expectation of widespread destruction perhaps of people and certainly of [...] The suffering caused by the flooding in Queensland and elsewhere cannot be understated. Those who raise issues of moral hazard in the current setting run the risk of being accused of callousness. I’ll run that risk. The rush of government pledges to help those who had not insured their properties against flood damage seems to [...] I wrote a cynical piece on the outcomes achieved from the Cancun climate negotiations a while back. Most of the time on such issues I rely on the Bridges email newsletter – it offers about as much sense as anything – on this occasion too it delivers sound insight. Its not much of an advance [...] I cannot see where the claimed ‘breakthroughs’ at Cancun are. Others think the same. (Update – here also). If readers out there in the blogosphere can detail them to me I’d sincerely appreciate it. Maybe I am missing the subtleties or just being a bit obtuse. I had a brief say at Club Troppo (in response [...] |
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