Australia shelves key emissions trading scheme

[pampango]

Source: BBC

The Australian government has put plans for a flagship emissions trading scheme on hold until 2013 at the earliest. The move comes after the scheme was rejected twice by the Senate, where Prime Minster Kevin Rudd's government does not have a majority.

Mr Rudd, who came to power promising tough climate action, blamed opposition obstruction and slow global progress on emissions cuts for the plan's delay. Australia has the highest per capita emissions of any developed country.

The scheme had been scheduled to begin in July 2011, but Mr Rudd said the government would now delay plans until the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. He said doing so would "provide the Australian government at the time with a better position to assess the level of global action on climate change".

The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says the postponement is a major climbdown by the Rudd government, which reflects the changing politics of climate change in Australia. Ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference, the prime minister looked set to fight - and win - this year's Australian election on the emissions trading issue, says our correspondent, but polls have pointed to an erosion of public support.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8645767.stm

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Apparently the conservative party controls the Senate in Australia and wouldn't pass Rudd's emissions trading scheme. Looks like it's back to the drawing board. Again.

I didn't realize that Australia has a higher per capita carbon emission rate than the US. Sounds like the Australian popular mood is that they don't want to do anything significant unless and until the rest of the world acts. That is hardly a shocking attitude, but with the world stuck in bickering mode on any coordinated climate change control agreement, it means that no country wants to take the lead for fear of hurting their economy while others continue to pollute.

[RandomThoughts]

1. Race to the bottom....

That is hardly a shocking attitude, but with the world stuck in bickering mode on any coordinated climate change control agreement, it means that no country wants to take the lead for fear of hurting their economy while others continue to pollute.

[Matilda]

2. There may be other factors as well.

Australia has ratcheted up its level of debt because of the stimulus
package Rudd put in place to avoid a recession. It has worked, for
now at least, but there is a price to be paid.

Secondly, he had to promise billions to the States to get their
agreement for the Federal government to take over administration of
our hospitals. Certainly it's a popular move with Australians, but
we can only hope it's worth it.

And thirdly, Australians have gone a bit cold on emissions trading,
because they've suddenly realised that there will a price to pay there
as well. Great idea - as long as nobody has to pay for it.

It is true that the Coalition control the Senate, and Rudd has no
hope of getting his bill through until that changes. But we have an
election coming up later this year, and it will be very surprising if
Rudd doesn't have the numbers once it's taken place, so putting the
legislation off for more than a year isn't really justified. If he
had a double dissolution election (all Senate places up for reelection
at one go, instead of the usual half), then he wouldn't have to wait
even a year to get control in all likelihood.

The reasons for the delay just don't ring quite true. Rudd's as
opportunistic as any other politician.

[unabelladonna]

3. good.

the only ones benefitting from that scheme (and it really is a scheme) would be the carbon traders (the same ghouls who bought us the financial meltdown).

[Fool Count]

4. Conservative party (btw it is called Liberal there) does not

control the Senate in Australia. Both Liberals and Labor have 32 Senators. The next biggest
faction is the Greens with 5. And the Greens are against Rudd's cap-and-trade scheme, because
they favor a straight carbon tax instead.

[depakid]

8. Steven Fielding (a "family first" one termer) nearly always votes with the coaltion

[AngryAmish]

5. whaaaat?

[hatrack]

6. Amazing what a good drenching rainy season can do to public perception, ain't it?

:eyes:

[Rhiannon12866]

7. K&R. More people need to read this... n/t

[ThaliaP]

9. Disappointed

I was very disappointed to hear that Rudd has dropped the ETS. I don't believe the issue of global warming can wait until 2013. We need action now.

Link to my blog: http://macquarieeditorial.blogspot.com/

[friendly_iconoclast]

10. Australia *can't* substantially cut coal exports or consumption- it would wreck their economy

They haven't much oil, so they must use their coal for export and electrical production.