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The Forum > Article Comments > Unlike Kyoto, this climate deal suits us fine > Comments

Unlike Kyoto, this climate deal suits us fine : Comments

By Alan Oxley, published 3/8/2005

Alan Oxley argues the Howard Government is to be congratulated for forging a global policy on climate change.

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Mr Oxley, free trade warrior and global warming sceptic, will never lie down. He asserted (in the ABC Radio National Saturday Breakfast 9 April 2005) that a number of eminent and respectable scientists have expressed doubt about whether global warming is happening or not. This is the man that brought forth Michael Crichton’s discredited book “State of Fear” to support his argument when he last infested the pages of On Line Opinion. Who are these scientists?

Oxley attacks the Kyoto protocol and applauds the recently agreed “global policy” to which Australia and the USA have signed up, a policy which is merely voluntary and contains no specific targets. He also asserted, in the same program, “we don’t know enough about to start to take action which would cause standards of living to decline”. Many thousands of scientists must have been not taking their medication.

Interestingly, Mr Oxley said on the same program “One of the most important things to be done … is to get all the power stations in Asia, which is where the real growth is, China, India, Korea, to switch to more modern technologies which are more efficient burners of oil and gas, and which will bring the biggest drop in climate emissions that we could see.” So there is a problem and there is a way [amongst many] to address that problem.

We are being let down appallingly by apologists for energy generators and miners who oppose reductions in emissions. Just as we are by those who advance one solution like nuclear energy generation or clean coal, those who fail to carefully examine how many different strategies will in aggregate contribute to reductions. Less use of cars, hybrid cars, improved public transport, walking or bicycling more, energy conservation practices in buildings, giving out free energy saving light globes and on and on. Just as we are by those who assert that such practices and renewable energy development should not be supported by taxpayers yet ignore the costs of doing nothing and, equally important, that almost every aspect of society is subsidised in some way.
Posted by Des Griffin, Tuesday, 9 August 2005 2:52:21 PM
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It is interesting that the countries which produce the most greenhouse gas per capita are the countries which are dragging their feet about doing something about reducing their output.
It would be great if John Howard and George Bush stayed at home a lot more and concentrated on governing the people who elected them.
The amount of greenhouse gases produced by these two flitting around the world all year round must be causing a lot of global warming as well as depleting the world fossil fuel supply.
Posted by Peace, Wednesday, 10 August 2005 6:53:53 PM
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