Call for climate change plan to be put on ice
The government’s proposed emissions trading scheme should be
indefinitely put on hold because of flaws in the scientific arguments
used in support of the plan, Federal member for Tangney Dennis Jensen
said Thursday.
“The plan has been flawed from the start,
and now we are seeing even the prime minister and some other members of
government stepping back from the ETS,” he said.
“The
government is blowing hot and cold on their own proposal. It is time to
end the uncertainty and declare the ETS is dead – or at least on hold
until there has been serious debate of the relevant issues and likely
impacts of such a scheme.”
Dr Jensen, a long-time opponent
of the ETS, said he remained unconvinced that humans were causing
global warming, and that justification for introduction of such a
scheme had not been demonstrated.
“The science behind this is dubious, to say the least,” he added.
“Add to that the economic ramifications of imposing the cost burden of
the ETS on Australian business when the rest of the world is not taking
action, and it is clear the scheme must be dumped.
“It
isn’t justified on scientific grounds, it isn’t justified on economic
grounds. Perhaps the government thought it could be justified on
political grounds through picking up some of the green vote, but
they’ve obviously come to the conclusion that for most voters, the
economy is the key issue, not unfounded, unjustified and incredibly
expensive feel-good programs.”