Coulton’s Catch-up 3rd October - Carbon Tax Debate
04-October-2011
There has been much discussion about the politics of fear surrounding the debate on the Government’s carbon tax legislation. Much of this criticism has been directed at Tony Abbott and members of the Coalition. However, on closer inspection it appears that the real scare mongers sit on the Government side of the House.
The debate in Canberra has seen one Government Member after another talk up the prospect of global disaster brought about by climate change. The dire predictions of coastal flooding by rising sea levels, extreme weather events and drought are based more on Green doctrine than fact.
In May 2011 the Climate Commission, an independent body established by the Federal Government to assist in the formulation of Australia’s approach to addressing climate change, released its anticipated report “The Critical Decade”. However, despite the Greens, Labor and the Independents endorsing this report at the time of its release, they have chosen to ignore its contents.
The Greens Member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, has joined the Labor Party in a blatant campaign to scare the Australian people about the effects of “catastrophic climate change”. Mr Bandt’s breathless contribution to the Carbon Tax debate in Parliament this week was a scandalous attempt to garner support for legislation that will have no tangible environmental benefit.
It is interesting to contrast excerpts from the Greens Adam Bandt’s speech with the contents of the Critical Decade Report.
Mr Bandt: “Ice caps are melting and the seas are rising. Hurricanes, storms and floods are becoming more intense and dangerous, and extreme fires are becoming more powerful and are happening more often. This is just the beginning of our pathway to a more dangerous and harsher world.
“We are all—every person and every species on this planet—threatened by catastrophic climate change and the potential of it, and we are running out of time to prevent this catastrophe.
Whereas the Critical Decade Report states:
…a high degree of uncertainty in our current understanding. Observational records show no changes beyond natural variability in either the frequency of cyclones or their storm tracks.
…it is not yet possible to attribute any aspect of changes in cyclone behaviour (frequency, intensity, rainfall, etc.) to climate change;
Furthermore the Critical Decade Report goes on to explain that the flooding experienced across Australia earlier this year was a result of a strong La Nina event and states there is no evidence that the strength of the La Nina event was due to climate change.
The dire predictions of the unfounded cataclysmic effects of climate change will give our younger generation a very jaundiced view of their future. The reality is that this generation will have the same opportunity to prosper and will continue to be sustained by our natural environment as has been the case for previous generations.
No one would argue the fact that we all have an obligation to look after our natural environment. However, this can be done by practical, commonsense means that will not impinge on our economic competitiveness. There is no evidence that this carbon tax will have any measurable effects on our climate. Indeed, the Government’s Climate Change salesman, Professor Tim Flannery, admitted that it might take one thousand years before we see any difference, and that’s if the entire world follows Australia!
Members of Parliament are responsible for representing the views and concerns of their electorates. The public quite rightly assumes that in order to make decisions on behalf of their constituents, MPs will have command of all the facts underpinning the issues with which they are faced.
By comparison the conduct of the Labor/Green/Independent Members in this Carbon Tax debate has been very irresponsible. They have chosen to follow an extreme Green dogma and indulged in a scare campaign that is both reckless and fear-provoking. The truth is the proposed carbon tax will not stop the effects of climate change and it is time for the Labor/Green/Independent Members to stop with their doomsday predictions and inject a dose of reality into their argument.