[Greens-Media] Rudd: the devil in climate change hell

[Scott Hickie]

Ian Cohen MLC
MEDIA ALERT   16th December 2008
 
Rudd: the devil in climate change hell
 
With his self-groomed halo tarnished forever more, Rudd has revealed
himself to be the devil in the detail when it comes to climate change,
after the Federal Government announced it would only set a 5% emissions
reduction target yesterday. 
 
“This is significant step towards Federal Labor exposing themselves
as being more closely intertwined with their colleagues in NSW than they
would like to admit,” says Greens MP Ian Cohen. 
 
“For a government that was swept to power with all the grandiose
climate change promises it could muster, this paltry 5% target will
certainly prove to be lump of coal in the throats of most
Australians.”
 
The White Paper, ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia's Low
Pollution Future’, released by Prime Minister Rudd yesterday, has
revealed a government more concerned with appeasing big polluters than
shoring up new and emerging renewable energy industries, as the $4
billion promised to the coal industry demonstrates.  
 
“Australia is at the forefront of some of the most innovative and
exciting technologies in the world when it comes to renewable energy.
Sadly, many have been moving offshore for commercialisation because they
find it so hard to get started in our own backyard. We need to be moving
Australia into a high skills, sustainable energy based economy, not
shoring up the Jurassic interests of only a few” 
 
“Just how much of the coal cabal’s $4 billion bonanza will actually
translate to real emissions cuts? According to the McKinsey Australian
2020 carbon abatement cost curve emission reductions to be gained from
residential water heating efficiency, commercial lighting efficiency and
residential heating/ventilation efficiency are the low hanging fruit
that the Rudd Government is ignoring. 
 
“Just look at the Sydney CBD at night. All too often whole office
buildings are lit up for no good reason - even on weekends.” 
 
“What is also glaringly absent from the Rudd White Paper is an
acknowledgement of the role of forestry in Australia’s abatement
portfolio. The forestry industry makes up 31% of Australia’s GHG
emission reduction opportunity yet Rudd has turned a blindeye,
preferring to bankrole a handsome corporate welfare package.”