Liberal Leader Tony Abbott said the result vindicated his party's decision not to support the Federal Government's emissions trading scheme legislation, while Greens deputy leader Christine Milne said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should be held responsible for ''trying to bully those who wanted a real deal into accepting his greenwash''.
During the passage of New Zealand's ETS legislation I sent the following letter to the Dominion Post. Don't think it was published. Maybe it is too simplistic or ill-informed but at the completion of the Copenhagen talks it seems apt to post it here;
Like many others I simply cannot understand the rush to pass the amended ETS legislation.
Apparently we signed up to Kyoto and have an obligation. Did nobody ever say till death do us part, and then get divorced?
The argument that the global community will punish inaction by not buying our exports is surely a matter of speculation. Wouldn't it be wiser to take the risk of being economically punished rather than embark on the certainty of punishing ourselves?
So that doesn't stack up for me. Then, even if the theory of man-made global warming is sound, New Zealand's cuts will make not a blind bit of difference in the larger scheme of things. So what is the point of our martyrdom?
Oh, because Green religion dictates that 'somebody has to lead the way'. Again there is no certainty that the rest of the world will follow, especially if evidence for anthropogenic warming diminishes or falls over completely. The only certainty is that we and our children will experience lower living standards.
So this whole business is no more than a high stakes gamble. I like a flutter but I wouldn't put my house on a horse.
1 comment:
So right Lindsay. I didnt hear the greens screaming that we would loose trade and harm our relationships with Australia America and Britain when we banned all things Nuclear.
We 'led the world' then to didnt we? Funny tho' I have yet to see anyone who 'followed'
Post a Comment