John Howard Abruptly Changes Mind On GHG Targets, Carbon Trading - IHT

[hatrack]

CANBERRA, Australia: Australia may have to commit to a long-term target to cut greenhouse gas pollution, Prime Minister John Howard said, an about-face likely prompted by a report received Thursday on carbon trading's impact on the economy.

The government-commissioned report by 12 business leaders and senior bureaucrats will form the foundation of John Howard's response to climate change, which he will take to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' forum to be held in Sydney in September.

"One of the responsibilities of the APEC countries is to play their part in forging a pragmatic, sensible but effective response to the challenge of climate change," Howard said Thursday at a luncheon speech in honor of visiting Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"I see the APEC meeting in Sydney as an opportunity to make a further contribution to the development of a response by the nations of the Asia-Pacific region to the challenges of climate change," he added.

He said unless all countries are involved, including the worst polluters — the United States and China — "a long-term, effective response and solution will not be available."

EDIT

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/31/asia/AS-GEN-Australia-Greenhouse.php

But, of course, it's a plan which will have to include everyone. And the upcoming election has NOTHING to do with this.

[hunter]

1. Nature smacks him in the head with her baseball bat and he almost sees the light.

Next time I'll bet she swings even harder, maybe knock him right off the stage.

Meanwhile he pleads "I didn't do it! I didn't do it! They did it worse! They did it worse!"

:eyes:

[kestrel91316]

2. He hasn't seen the light, IMHO. He has just smelled $$ somewhere.

[Eugene]

3. Howard is following the polls. An election is coming and he's running scared.

John Howard isn't seeing the light. He's feeling the heat from
worried voters. He wants to be seen as doing something.

A June 1 article in The Age (Carbon trading by 2012: taskforce)
sheds some light on Howard's proposed scheme. There is much
to be concerned about:

· The plan moves slowly with no action before 2011, easy "flexible"
  caps and low prices for carbon emissions.

· The plan was formed by business and bureaucrats, scientists
  and environmentalists had no input.

· The plan exempts whole industries like agriculture.

[Javaman]

4. the jury is still out on the whole carbon trading thing for me...

Frankly, I really don't see the worth in it.

just like everything else the corps touch it will get fucked up and no one will really be doing any cutting back or real trading of the carbon "credits".

I think it's just one more program trotted out by ad execs to make corps look responsible without really having to do anything of worth in actually cutting CO2 admissions.