THE Rudd Government has no ambitions to set an example by moving dramatically ahead of other countries with its emissions trading regime, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has indicated.
Senator Wong told The Weekend Australian the Government had “very deliberately” timed the final decisions on the limits or “caps” it would put on Australian greenhouse emissions so they would be taken after a crucial UN meeting in Copenhagen next year.
“We will clearly have strong regard to the outcomes of Copenhagen when we are taking those decisions,” she said.
“We modelled what we are working towards.”
Treasury modelling released this week, which found the costs of an ETS would be modest, assumed that developed countries would clinch a deal in Copenhagen and that developing countries such as China would agree on specific emission reduction plans soon afterwards. But industry remains concerned, because of the Government’s promise to introduce a scheme regardless of the outcome of Copenhagen.
Business Council of Australia policy director Maria Tarrant said: “The entire focus of the modelling is on there being a global agreement and a global carbon price. It is very disappointing that we don’t get any information about what happens if a global agreement does not eventuate.”
Kevin Rudd yesterday highlighted the economic dangers of failing to act, pointing out that some countries had threatened border taxes against imports from nations without a cost on carbon.
Malcolm Turnbull repeated his call to delay the ETS, saying: “We won’t know how much this (ETS) is going to cost until the Government takes into account this global financial crisis”.
By Lenore Taylor
Sourced From
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