The Guardian
11-1-06
Last week the Howard Government announced more rural drought relief grants. Howard has finally acknowledged the reality of global warming, caused by emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). However, the government still refuses to introduce carbon trading, which is intended to reduce CO2 emissions, and could see farmers earn significant incomes from reforestation, the establishment of wind or solar energy complexes on their farms, and even from ceasing land clearing.
The government also announced a $75 million grant for a solar power plant in northern Victoria. Yet it was also revealed that between 1998 and 2006 it failed to spend $667 million allocated to tackle global warming.
Australia consumes more water annually than Britain or New Zealand, particularly because of agricultural irrigation. We emit more CO2 per capita than Britain, Japan or New Zealand, mostly from motor vehicles, coal-fired power stations and heavy industry.
Greg Bourne, World Wildlife Federation CEO, says, “If the rest of the world led the kind of lifestyles we do …, we would require 3.5 planets to provide the resources we use and to absorb the waste we create”. Yet capitalism incessantly promotes ever-higher consumption.
John Howard’s long delay in acknowledging global warming largely stemmed from his desire to protect the powerful coalition of coal mining, coal-fired power generation, cement, smelting and other heavy industries
The uranium mining corporations BHP-Billiton and Rio-Tinto, want coal to be replaced by nuclear power and propped up by massive government subsidies, as in the US. Howard is now advocating public acceptance of nuclear power production.
Renewable energy definitely comes last. The Howard Government is granting only $75 million for construction of the $400 million Victorian solar energy power plant, which will generate 154 megawatts, sufficient for 45,000 homes.
As the Australian Conservation Foundation has pointed out, the government already spends $790 million per annum in aviation fuel concessions, and $1 billion on company car fringe benefit tax concessions. In comparison, this year’s entire climate change initiative spending amounts to just $280 million.
Moreover, this and later projects will involve “public/private” deals which would be part-funded by private capital. These arrangements will privatise energy production and impose crippling financial costs on the public.
Howard has hastened to denigrate solar and wind power, which he describes as unable to achieve “base load” generation, i.e. a stable basic energy output. He studiously ignores new methods of achieving this, utilising chemicals such as ammonia and methane, which are already being used in experimental solar projects.
One scientist recently predicted that by 2020 Australia’s entire electrical energy needs could be met by one central solar power station, occupying an area of only 30 by 30 kilometres. The sale of surplus energy from solar plants could fund reforestation of vast areas of deserts and ruined farmland, greatly helping to minimise climate change. But Howard is not interested
The government still refuses to sign the Kyoto Protocol, even though it would permit Australia an eight percent rise in CO2 emissions, instead of the overall reduction required for other nations. Howard doesn’t want to offend the coal mining industry or embarrass the US, the only other developed Western country which refuses to sign.
Instead, he is backing the Asia-Pacific Clean Development group, which includes Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the US. This group agrees that emission reductions are necessary, but does not impose CO2 reduction obligations on its members. Its contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is therefore likely to be absolutely minimal. And that is also true of the Howard Government’s so-called greenhouse gas reduction campaign.
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