One party way out in the lead with nutty proposals – Judith Sloan
“…Labor’s proposal to cut emissions by 45% by 2030 and to impose a renewable energy target of 50% on the electricity sector”.
“Labor ruled out the use of the Kyoto carry-over, [so] Mark Butler, has to come up with plans to abate 1.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030. The trouble is that the interventions that have been outlined don’t come close to reaching the target”.
“Evidently, purchasing dubious international carbon credits will do the trick, although Labor doesn’t know what their price will be or how many will be purchased”.
“Then there’s Labor’s line that the cost of inaction is higher than the cost of acting. Shorten quotes a figure of $18bn a year as the cost of extreme weather events, which he thinks can miraculously be avoided. Australia [emits] only 1.3% of total world emissions, [so] Australia can do nothing on its own that will make a jot of difference. Unilateral action by Australia is pointless and costly.
Source: The Australian – Judith Sloan