Renewables are key to the future

Age
Tuesday 24/5/2011 Page: 10

THE elephant in the room, or rather the elephant absent from the room where they develop Australian climate policy, is any government declaration of renewable energy programs ("Climate science audit slams skeptics", The Age, 23/5), While the US, Europe, China and India are making firm commitments to renewables through tax and fiscal policies, Australia is reticent, coy or just plain terrified of the fossil fuel bullies when it comes to talking up large scale solar, wind and tidal power generation.

That there has yet to be any commitment as to how the other 50% of the collected carbon tax will be deployed should suggest that it will be used to compensate the same polluters who are causing the problem. That there is not one renewable energy expert on Greg Combet's six person Climate Commission also suggests that the government is window dressing a product that it has no intention of selling.

John Ashton, North Fitzroy