Global Warming - Australian politicians
Global warming is continuing as a political issue in Australia.
It featured as an election issue in the election of late 2007....
On being elected, labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd immediately signed the Kyoto Protocol and attended the Bali meetings on climate change.
The government's 'Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme' (CPRS) and 'Emissions Trading Scheme' (ETS) have attracted a lot of controversy.
Some of the comments made by Austrlaian politicians on the matter of global warming..........
Former PM John Howard
John Howard rejected Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's claim that climate change is the greatest moral issue we face...
China flags hard line on climate
The Age, April 24, 2007
"Prime Minister John Howard yesterday echoed some of the sentiment of the Chinese Government report, arguing in a major speech that maintaining economic prosperity - rather than climate change - was Australia's great moral challenge.
Rejecting the stance of Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, Mr Howard declared: "Australia emits less greenhouse gas in a year than the United States or China emit in a month.
"Do we need to lower carbon emissions over time? Of course we do. But to say that climate change is the overwhelming moral challenge for this generation of Australians is misguided at best; misleading at worst."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Prior to the 2007 election, Kevin Rudd called climate change the great 'moral issue'.
Rudd urges embrace of China on climate
The Age, April 21, 2007
He said climate change is "the great moral, environmental and economic challenge of our generation".
Senator Nick Minchin
Senator Minchin gave an excellent speech in August 2009, opposing the federal government's Emissions Trading Scheme.
He is a Liberal Senator for South Australia.
Speech to the Senate: Labor's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Senator MINCHIN (South Australia) (7:32 PM) -The government this week are asking the Senate to support passage of a package of no less than 11 separate bills, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 and related bills, to give effect to their Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, as they call it. This scheme represents one of the most dramatic and far-reaching interventions into the Australian economy ever proposed by an Australian government. Its passage and entry into force would have enormous impacts on the Australian economy and the economic circumstances of millions of Australians. The government knows there is no Senate majority for this legislation, yet it is determined on what is nothing more than a cynical political exercise. This legislation should be withdrawn for a number of reasons....."
|
