As job losses mount because of the deteriorating world economy, opposition emissions trading spokesman Andrew Robb has again called for emissions trading to be delayed until 2012.
"If the government is not mugged by reality, certainly the rest of Australia is," Mr Robb said.
He said he had met with 51 companies recently and there was a "sense of fear" about the economic crisis. The last thing they needed was to grapple with emissions trading, Mr Robb said.
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said the design of the emissions trading scheme should be delayed until the outcome of UN climate negotiations late next year.
The Government then countered with ......
But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he had always expected criticism for taking action on climate change.
"We'll be attacked on the hard right by various businesses for going too far," he said.
"You're going to have people out there like the Liberal Party on the far right saying don't do anything at all."
PM Rudd's statement loses credibility just by calling the Aussie Liberals "far right". Of course you are going to be criticised PM Rudd! Didn't you read your job description before you entered politics? Australia is one of the world's few true democracies, and people love to exercise their freedom of expression (within socially acceptable boundaries).
For the reader, I am not affiliated with any political party. I once was and have learned my lesson - reality and politics don't mix.
Back to the news item....
How is killing jobs and putting the ordinary people in the developed world into poverty going to help? (People in the under developed world won't get poorer - they'll just die - sometimes it is not possible to get poorer.) Don't tell me you expect a tax to reduce carbon emissions? The rich will get richer, albeit more slowly, and the ordinary and the poor will get poorer. But carbon will keep pumping into the atmosphere.
What makes PM Rudd and his career focused advisers think that this will help stop the climate changing? Do they have a policy on stopping the tide from coming in and out?
Recent news is that the CO2 levels in the atmosphere are still rising, but temperatures are moderating. The problem with letting politicians make the climate decisions is that they are focused on winning the next election in three or four years, and not in long term phenomena, like the climate. When we are too poor (because we squandered resources on chasing a vote winner) to adjust to whatever climate the earth's orbit and other physical realities throw at us, PM Rudd will either be retired and suffering along with his grandchildren, or no longer on this Earth.
Will someone PLEASE take off the short term blinkers and look at a hugely long term picture?
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