The EU exports 2.5x to Aus as Aus exports to the EU.

The simple fact that Aus can impose an identical retaliatory tariff on EU imports should sink this brain fart quickly.

Shadow,
It would be idiotic for Australia to imose retaliatory tariffs. Why should Aussies have to pay more for European goods?

What you seem to have failed to notice is that these carbon tariffs would also apply to Chinese exports. And Australia could decarbonise more quickly and cheaply than China, so this could easily work in Australia's favour.

Aidan,

Any tariffs are idiotic.

Considering that Aus is one of the very few countries meeting its carbon targets (of which the EU is not included) trying to punish Aus before China and India etc would be hypocritical virtue signalling.

Retaliatory tariffs would hurt the EU more than the idiot tariffs it put on Aus and would go a long way to getting the EU to wind its neck in.

I don't blame the EU for taking such action.

It's protecting itself and punishing those who refuse to acknowledge the adverse impacts of anthropogenic global warming.

This sort of action was going to happen sooner or later and will become stronger with time as the effects of the greenhouse gas effect and resulting adverse climate changes become worse and start to destroy the world we all depend on.

PS To shifty&shadyminister: Is 'brain fart' an alternative spelling for 'injunear'?

Mr uneducated,

Firstly, no action has actually been taken, it is probably just some greeny fwit arts graduates that think it would be a great chance to virtue signal even though Australia is presently doing better than most of the EU. The grown-ups at the EU would realise that they would simply be shooting themselves in the foot as not only would it increase their cost of materials which would make their products uncompetitive, but that everyone would simply retaliate.

Brain (f)art is defined as an idea as idiotic as those of arts graduates.

It should be factored in how much of the worlds carbon the EU is responsible for compared to Australia. Australia produces 1.8% of the worlds carbon, China produces 27% and is still building coal power stations.

If The EU is producing much more carbon than Australia, I don’t think Australia should have to pay anywhere near the carbon tax the EU might pay.

Pull out of trading with the EU, India doesn’t have such silly rules as far as I know.
We shouldn’t be dictated to by these nutty climate people.

The climate is cyclical, not linear. The earth goes through constant mini warming and cooling periods,some lasting a few decades, some lasting a couple of centuries.
Carbon dating shows this.