In November 2010, German economist and IPCC official Ottmar Edenhofer stated about climate policy........


"But one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy. Obviously, the owners of coal and oil will not be enthusiastic about this.

One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole."

"International carbon markets will cover billions of consumers this decade. Ask the bankers at your table whether they want Australia to clip that ticket. We’re going to help them get their share." Julia Gillard 

"Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsiblity to bring that about?"

- Maurice Strong, founder of the UN Environment Programme

"If we don't change, our species will not survive... Frankly, we may get to the point where the only way of saving the world will be for industrial civilization to collapse."

-Maurice Strong quoted in the September 1, 1997 edition of National Review magazine.

"A carbon tax does not guarantee emissions reductions"
Former Labor Climate Change Minister Penny Wong

"The introduction of a carbon price ahead of effective international action can lead to perverse incentives for such industries to relocate or source production offshore.

There is no point in imposing a carbon price domestically which results in emissions and production transferring internationally for no environmental gain."

Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong 6 feb 2008

Penny Wong says Australia's economy can still grow, despite a report showing the economy would take a big hit under the carbon tax.

The report, commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia, warns keeping the $23 fixed price regime will have almost twice the impact on economic growth by 2018, compared with a system based on international pricing.

Senator Wong said she stood by the Treasury's modelling which determined the initial fixed price.

'We can grow our economy, we can grow jobs, we can grow our incomes and have a carbon price,' she told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

'A carbon price will be the signal to investors to invest in the clean energy economy that provides jobs tomorrow.'

The $23 per tonne initial fixed price was still the right price, despite European carbon prices falling from around $17 a tonne to under $10 recently.

'You would anticipate that the European carbon price will respond to the current financial position in Europe,' Senator Wong said.

'But let's remember we're going through a period, first, of a fixed price and then there is a floating price.

'We think this is the right architecture for the times.'