ALP policy on climate change action has been strongly criticised by environment and climate action groups with protests at Julia Gillard's climate change policy launch in Brisbane, and protests at Julia Gillard's Werribee electoral office and her Melbourne Treasury Place office.
Related: Climate activists lock on at Gillard's office to protest pathetic ALP policy | Photos at Treasury Place protest | Environmentalists: Fuel Emission reduction policy well behind world's best practice
Bradley Smith from Friends of the Earth confronted Julia Gillard at the climate policy launch at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. After being physically tackled and lead aware by Federal police Bradley told reporters that to take real action on climate hange the Prime Minister has to address the coal industry "but the coal miners have got her tongue" he said.
"We gave Labor a mandate to take climate action 3 years ago. What she announced today is just another delay tactic. She is essentially turning back the clock to before we ratified Kyoto, to before the Garnaut review. This backwards step will come at an enormous cost, and we cannot let that happen without protest." Bradley said in a media statement.
"40,000 coal seam gas wells in Queensland's darling downs, 11 new coal fired power stations, and huge expansions of coal rail and ports, that's Julia Gillard's real climate policy, and it's condemning our future." he said.
"Scientists have been telling us we need to take action on climate change for a long time. The government have had a mandate to take strong action on climate change for the last three years. That's what the election was about three years ago, and we've seen no action. So I feel the need to do whatever I can because it's not just about me, it's about the whole planet." Bradley told triple j radio Hack program.
In Melbourne, two actions ocurred. Two activists 'locked-on' to a door in Julia Gillard's Weribee electoral office, while climate activists from Environment Victoria and other climate action groups gathered outside the Prime Minister's Melbourne office. Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said in a media statement "The promise that new coal-fired power stations will have to be 'carbon capture ready' is greenwash, particularly given that the commitment does not apply to the 15 existing proposals to build new coal-fired power stations,"
"In effect, today's announcement gives the green light for 15 new coal-fired power stations nationally, including the HRL proposal in Victoria. It allows power stations like Hazelwood to keep polluting. And it signals a complete lack of leadership on climate change from a Gillard Government. "Promises that future proposals for coal-fired power stations would have to be carbon capture ready are meaningless. I'm Tattslotto-winning ready, but it's probably not going to happen" Mark Wakeham said.
Mr Wakeham also condemned the creation of a community panel as another cynical delaying tactic. "We don't appoint citizens juries to decide whether or not to send troops into conflict or to design our tax scheme. This is just another delaying tactic. The ALP designed a similar process with the Garnaut Review last election. The review spent 12 months studying the issues, and then the Labor Party largely ignored its findings. Now they are proposing to spend another year on another process which will have zero impact on our levels of greenhouse pollution."
"At the last election voters showed their support for climate action, and poll after poll consistently shows the majority of Australians want to see action to rapidly reduce our greenhouse pollution, not more delays" concluded Mr Wakeham.
The Climate Institute's CEO John Connor said the ALP's climate policy provided small steps forwad but the policy falls far short for a credible plan to tackle climate change and carbon emissions pollution.
"A credible plan needs to have a limit and price tag on pollution, needs to make polluters take responsibility for pollution and have investments and incentives to make clean energy cheaper. A credible plan needs to demonstrate how parties can achieve their international commitments to achieve up to 25 % reductions off 2000 levels of pollution by 2020." John Connor said.
"Today's announcement has welcome repeated support of the need for a limit and price on pollution but gives no guarantees for either. There is some encouragement for businesses taking responsibility for their pollution and some extra funding to make clean energy cheaper but we still rate the Government policy at 1 star out of five. Preliminary analysis of the pollution reduction potential of the policy announcements under our Pollute-o-meter sees very little change pre-2020 with current Government policies still witnessing increased pollution levels by 2020."
In comparison, the Climate Institute ranks the Coalition parties climate policy at just half a star out of five and will also see pollution increasing out to 2020. You can access the Climate Institute's Pollute-o-meter to assess the major parties on climate change action.
"We welcome the investment in clean energy and smart grids which is a good down payment but short of what is needed to make strides forward in making clean energy cheaper." concluded John Connor.
On Friday the Greens released a plan for 100% renewable energy for Australia. Under the plan Infrastructure Australia would be tasked with: mapping the renewable energy resource areas of Australia; bringing all levels of government, local communities and renewable energy developers together in consultation; and creating renewable energy development zones based on the mapped areas, with streamlined approval processes and funding connection of the zones to the electricity grid.
Sources
- Media Release Environment Victoria - July 23, 2010 - Gillard moving backwards on climate
- Media Release Climate Institute - July 23, 2010 - Small steps forward but far short of credible plan
- Media Release Friends of the Earth - July 23, 2010 - Gillard's climate announcement: moving backwards
- Media Release The Greens - July 23, 2010 - Planning for 100% renewable energy
- Image courtesy Environment Victoria on Flickr - Gillard Climate Change Protest
Comments
Re: Climate activists protest Julia Gillard over ALP climate ...
Good lord, if the green left had their loopy energy plans fulfilled, their agrarian, capitalist-hating wet dream might finally come true. Keep milking the CAGW scare.
Don't ya love the way so-called independent media are all zealots for the left?
Re: Climate activists protest Julia Gillard over ALP climate ...
G'day Sam - we ARE an independant media site - independent of the corporate press and Government but we are also a left-wing site. Independent does not mean neutral - in this case it means proudly independantly radical and left wing.
Re: Climate activists protest Julia Gillard over ALP climate ...
I'm amazed that so few seem to recognise that a tax is not necessarily the best way for sustainability to change the long term results of climate issues. There are better options that will take more time. This also requires talking, discussing, getting a full version. Sorry guys, those of you who just want action now. It is most certainly late days. A quick monetary fix is not going to do it though. Start thinking and ask yourself deeper questions about how long the present plan that you are all pushing for would work and how much it would work. I have been pro environment protection since the 1960's and I believe it is a priority. So, please, let's get it right. Did you know that Greens want to use nuclear power, for example? They say it is clean. Okay. It is clean, but it is also deadly and messing up the environment in other ways. Do you trust 'us' with that kind of power? What has happened so far with inferior power? Has it been treated properly with respect for the earth and people? Why would nuclear power be treated properly? Doesn't this require some serious long term discussion rather than a tax that might just bring the present economy right down again? Are you ready for everyone to be in poverty? I am already so it doesn't matter to me, actually. But I don't see the point in bringing on world wide poverty which will lead to anarchy unless it is well prepared for.It could be great to enforce eco anarchism if we look at the long term. But, in the meantime, there would be unbearable suffering for the present hegemonic groups. The other millions who already suffer would also suffer worse, unfortunately. I think Julia Gillard is pretty poor at expressing the facts, but she is going in the right direction.
Re: Climate activists protest Julia Gillard over ALP climate ...
A carbon tax works in two ways:
1. It raises income from carbon polluters which allows the Government to do a number of things like give compensation to the poorest people, and subsidise research development and commercialisation of non-polluting energy businesses
2. Because carbon pollution is being taxed and thus high carbon emission energy is more expensive, business can make long term investment decisions in the energy industry to transition to cleaner alternative energy production.
At present because there is so much uncertainty regarding a carbon price, long term investment decisions are not being made, or are choosing temporary measures such as investment in peaking power plants which are ultimately more expensive and wasteful.
Do nothing and electricity prices will rise, set a carbon price and electricity price will rise but in a more regulated fashion with a transition to a cleaner energy infrastructure.
We need to renationalise the power industry now!
Personally I believe that any market based solution is doomed to failure. Rather than rely on an ETS or tax which is likely to be rorted by powerful market interests such as the coal and oil industry we should:
1) Immediately renationalise power generation in Victoria and across Australia. Remember it was only in the 90's that these public assets were sold off.
2) Massively public investmnet in renewable energy - I mean billions of dollars!!!!
3) Regulate private industry to reduce emissions through the EPA or a similar body to cut carbon pollution
Instead of wasting money paying or compensating private parasitical Multi-national corporations that money could be spent on renewable energy. The coal industry was built with public money and still receives billions in subsidies.
To think that whats holding up shutting down Hazelwood is a lack of funds to compensate International Power who are making records profits makes me sick.
To think that whats holding up investment in wind power and solar thermal plants is "lack of certainty" over a carbon price is a joke. There is no "lack of certainty" over global warming. If the government can find 25 Billion dollars a year for "defence" including the war in Afghanistan then maybe it should be investing in renewables instead!
The green movement needs to get over its obsession with the market and start embracing some "old fashioned" left wing ideas such as renationalisation, public investment in essential services and taxing the rich and corporations to pay for it! Otherwise we will be fiddling whilst the market burns the whole place down!