Climate change and the election

LNP: Greg Hunt’s ‘glaringly obvious emissions trading scheme’

Lenore Taylor writes in The Guardian (27.5.16): 

‘For years Greg Hunt has been suggesting different things to different people about his climate policy. This week he was almost caught out.

‘Most people who understand how it works – environmentalists, business leaders, analysts – know the Coalition’s Direct Action policy cannot meet Australia’s promised long-term greenhouse gas reductions exactly as it stands. For years Hunt has reassured them – don’t worry, the framework is there.

‘The so-called safeguards mechanism within the policy (which sets emissions “baselines”, or limits, for big polluters) can be tightened so it becomes a type of emissions trading scheme. The baselines can be gradually reduced and then companies that can’t meet them forced to buy pollution permits. ‘But Hunt is keeping quiet about that, playing a long game, waiting for the cabinet, and his party, to catch up with the scientific and economic realities of climate change, biding his time until a scheduled “review” next year.’

Greens announce $53b clean energy plan for Queensland

Sky News reports (29.5.16) that the Leader of the Greens Party, Senator Richard Di Natale, has announced in Brisbane a plan to build 90 per cent renewable energy nationally by 2030, which would generate $53 billion of investment in clean-energy projects in Queensland over 15 years.

‘”This would be delivered through a combination of direct government investment and ownership, and reverse auctions which provide bankable incentives for private sector investment,” he said.

‘Senator Di Natale said the plan would create between 3000 and 5500 full-time jobs in design and construction each year from 2017 across Queensland, particularly in regional areas hit hard by the mining downturn.

‘Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters said delivering a clean-energy economy would also safeguard Great Barrier Reef tourism jobs and agricultural jobs that were threatened by coal mining and coal seam gas. “The old parties are leaving Queensland at risk of missing out on the job-rich clean energy revolution,” she said.’

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