Quote:

Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world in addressing climate change, according to a new report by the Climate Institute and GE. The Global Climate Leadership Review shows Australia is now third last, leading only India and Saudi Arabia in preparing for the global low carbon economy.  By contrast, China has leapt ahead and is now in third place. "Tony Abbott has spent the last three years pushing the lie that Australia is acting before the rest of the world on climate change and is damaging our international competitiveness. The fact is we have long been behind and are failing to catch up." Greens Leader Christine Milne said. "Tony Abbott must now admit that he has been wrong and needs to end the uncertainty immediately and stop threatening to destroy our transformation to a clean energy future. "Tony Abbott has said he will spend two years in a white paper talk fest about how to implement his absurd Direct Action Plan, which no economist will support. "Under a Coalition government Australia risks falling further behind the world in improving our low-carbon competitiveness, and will fail to tap into the $4 trillion global green technology economy. "Far from Abbott's claim that Australia's carbon price is too high, the report highlights that 29 out of 34 OECD countries have a higher effective price on carbon than Australia, averaging at $35. "Will Tony Abbott now finally admit, as John Howard did, that emissions trading is a market mechanism designed to deliver emissions reductions most efficiently and at the cheapest price?"

When the average cost of previous direct action abatement programs in Australia has been $140 per tonne of CO2e, Abbott is looking sillier and sillier.

MOTR......please post the link.

:(

Aussie wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 5:09pm:

MOTR......please post the link. :(

Sorry, Aussie. It's a greens media release. I'm trying to find a link to the actual report.

http://greens.org.au/content/abbott-wrong-australia-behind-world-climate

You can probably access the full report here.

http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/articles/media-releases/australia-improves-low-carbon-competitiveness-as-asia-takes-centre-stage.html/section/www.climateinstitute.org.au/global-climate-leadership-review-2013.html

There's also an interesting opinion piece in the AFR. Unfortunately, it's behind a pay wall.

http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/australia_trails_in_the_carbon_race_FpAQ12BfqqaldA5nbraylM

Talk about dej vu

I am totally sick and tired (using reference to a post about progressives) of these social bashers(the new bible basher).

Where hav I heard this before and it comes up near an election to try and guilt Australia in to doing it the progressives way


Quote:

Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world

Quote:

Australia has staged a fragile reversal in its previously declining low-carbon competitiveness. Asia, especially China, is now taking centre stage in preparedness for the low-carbon economy. These are the two key conclusions of the updated Climate Institute/GE Low-Carbon Competitiveness Index, released today as part of the Institute’s Global Climate Leadership Review 2013 report. “Australia’s fragile improvement in low carbon competitiveness has occurred against a backdrop of delicate but important progress in UN climate negotiations, cuts in clean energy costs, growth in global carbon pricing and other policies and continuing strong investment in clean energy,” said John Connor, CEO, The Climate Institute. “It’s clear that the centre of clean energy gravity is shifting to Asia, China in particular. China has improved its ability to compete in the global low-carbon economy significantly, boosted by high-tech exports and just under half of global public equity investment in clean energy.” Other key findings from The Climate Institute/GE Low-Carbon Competitiveness Index include: The top performers are France, Japan, China, South Korea and the UK. France and the UK rank similar as before. Three of the top five best placed countries are now in Asia. China has leapt ahead of its previous score: it is now 3rd up from 7th. If China had not increased its clean energy investments, it would be in 8th place. The most dramatic decline in performance relates to the United States, which is now 11th down from 8th. Its decline is mainly due to lower public equity investment in clean energy, shrinking high-tech exports and a surge in reliance on emission intensive air freight. Australia is 17th but has slightly improved its low-carbon competitiveness due to a  number of factors along with relative good economic health:                  -increased investment in infrastructure and to a lesser extent education;                  -a slight increase in energy efficiency in the transport sector; and                  -an unusual but likely short lived drop in the value of natural resources as a                    proportion of national income. “Australia is in the right place at the right time to benefit from Asia's continued growth. Securing our long-term productivity and prosperity - doing more with less - is critical to how we realise this opportunity,” said Ben Waters, Director ecomagination, GE Australia and New Zealand. “While it’s promising to see improvements in Australia’s low-carbon competitiveness, we have work to do to catch the pack. What has made us successful in the past may not keep us successful in the future. This report clearly shows that the countries best prepared for the low-carbon economy are those that recognise the inextricable link between economics, resource security, policy and energy efficiency, and are taking action accordingly.” In January, OECD research showed that 29 of its 34 member countries have higher effective prices on carbon than Australia. Carbon pollution is priced – whether through a tax, market mechanism, or other policy – in every OECD country. Australia’s carbon price of $23 per tonne of CO2-equivalent, introduced in July 2012, comes in near the bottom of the list. China, South Korea, South Africa and a number of other economies have also announced carbon pricing policies to come in effect in the next two years. “We are on the path to improvement, with key elements of the Clean Energy Future package and the Renewable Energy Target providing a platform for Australia to benefit from the low-carbon transition that is underway around the world,” said Connor. “These actions are critical, as we have not been well prepared to compete in a world moving to limit carbon pollution.”

Abbott is an economic vandal. We will inevitably have a price on carbon. If Abbott dismantles the mechanism we already have in place he is going to leave us incredibly vulnerable to the realities of low carbon global economy.

I don't give a dame about climate change as long as i can make a good living . Those greentart can all get f themselves

Kenny wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 5:52pm:

I don't give a dame about climate change as long as i can make a good living . Those greentart can all get f themselves

How has the carbon tax affected your ability to make a living, Kenny?

MOTR wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 6:00pm:

Kenny wrote on Mar 29th, 2013 at 5:52pm: I don't give a dame about climate change as long as i can make a good living . Those greentart can all get f themselves How has the carbon tax affected your ability to make a living, Kenny?

$10 per week bills increase and 5c per week compensation MOTR?
How does that work?

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 6:02pm:

MOTR wrote on Mar 29th, 2013 at 6:00pm: Kenny wrote on Mar 29th, 2013 at 5:52pm: I don't give a dame about climate change as long as i can make a good living . Those greentart can all get f themselves How has the carbon tax affected your ability to make a living, Kenny? $10 per week bills increase and 5c per week compensation MOTR? How does that work?

Is that your lived experience, Andrei. Tell us how that is possible when you don't live in Australia.

If I did, I would get 5c per week in compensation (source:ATO) and see cost of living from carbon tax increase $10 per week (source: ABS).

So I'll ask again how does that not leave my demographic worse off?

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 6:14pm:

If I did, I would get 5c per week in compensation (source:ATO) and see cost of living from carbon tax increase $10 per week (source: ABS). So I'll ask again how does that not leave my demographic worse off?

Firstly, Andrei, what is your demographic?

And how much have your demographic saved from shifting their consumption to less carbon intensive goods and services?

Do you have a direct link to the ABS source?

I love this comment from the report


Quote:

A range of factors influence France’s strong performance including a low emission, mostly nuclear, electricity sector, energy efficient passenger transport, high fuel prices and high technology exports

Nuclear
80% of France's electricity comes from nuclear power. Need I say more? If the Greens are advocating this report then they want nuclear power

Energy efficient passenger transport
France landmass    -    674,843 km2
Australia landmass - 7,692,024 km2

Today's petrol price is about $1.90/L - but their country is about 1/11th of Australia

Will someone please punt this drivel off to "environment".

namnugenot wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 6:59pm:

Will someone please punt this drivel off to "environment".

And ignore the fact that the carbon tax is perhaps the biggest issue in the upcoming election.

Maqqa wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 6:34pm:

I love this comment from the report Quote: A range of factors influence France’s strong performance including a low emission, mostly nuclear, electricity sector, energy efficient passenger transport, high fuel prices and high technology exports Nuclear 80% of France's electricity comes from nuclear power. Need I say more? If the Greens are advocating this report then they want nuclear power Energy efficient passenger transport France landmass    -    674,843 km2 Australia landmass - 7,692,024 km2 Today's petrol price is about $1.90/L - but their country is about 1/11th of Australia

Get out in the Australian country maqqa. It is upwards of $1.70 in some places. So isnt too far off that tiny place called France.

Who would have guessed the Africans helping Norwegians. Global cooling looks weird.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLqyuxm96k

progressiveslol wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 7:40pm:

Who would have guessed the Africans helping Norwegians. Global cooling looks weird. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLqyuxm96k

Great video, progs, thanks for sharing. Hope it goes someway towards ending the stereotypical projection of Africa.

MOTR wrote on Mar 29^th, 2013 at 7:57pm:

progressiveslol wrote on Mar 29th, 2013 at 7:40pm: Who would have guessed the Africans helping Norwegians. Global cooling looks weird. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLqyuxm96k Great video, progs, thanks for sharing. Hope it goes someway towards ending the stereotypical projection of Africa.

Is pretty cool in that sense.