the emoticon that womble uses so intently are there in the same way stevie wonder uses them..................

Direct Action - No April Fool's Joke

Greg Combet posted Friday, 1 April 2011

The Coalition’s ineffective Direct Action Policy is in tatters today following serious criticism of its underlying assumptions by respected scientists.


The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, said Tony Abbott should explain how his Direct Action policy would achieve its objectives following criticism of its underlying assumptions by reputable scientific organisations such as CSIRO, the Australian Farm Institute and the Wentworth Group on Lateline last night.*


Key criticisms made of the Coalition’s Direct Action policy were that:

    The Coalition has severely underestimated the amount of land they would need to achieve their assertion that 150 million tonnes of carbon could be abated by soil carbon;

    They have overestimated the abatement that can be achieved through soil carbon processes; and

    They have neglected the fact that soil carbon is currently not recognised under the international accounting rules as contributing to our international commitments.


“Mr Hunt originally claimed that only 10,000 hectares of land would be needed to deliver 150 million tonnes of abatement per year, however CSIRO research indicates 500 million hectares could be needed – meaning Mr Hunt got this wrong by a factor of 50,000!”  [smiley:crazy]         Mr Combet said.


To put this in perspective Australia’s total cropland is currently around 26 million hectares and 500 million hectares is around 65% of the Australian land mass. 


“The fact is that Tony Abbott’s Direct Action policy is an economic and environmental joke. It will not achieve the cuts in pollution we need to make, would not transform our economy, will create a $30 billion black hole in our budget and cost an average family $720 a year,” said Mr Combet.


“In contrast the Government’s carbon price will cut pollution and drive investment in a clean energy economy. Under our policy the largest polluters in Australia, numbering less than 1,000, will be required to pay for their pollution for the very first time. Every cent raised will then be used to assist households with price impacts, support jobs in the most affected industries and tackle climate change.”


The Government is also continuing to fund research into how the management of soil carbon through programs such as the Soil Carbon Research Program.


Carbon levels in soils vary because of natural factors such as drought and human activity. While the scientific basis for managing soil carbon is improving, there are still many questions over how it can be used to reduce Australia’s carbon pollution levels.


The Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative will also provide an avenue for farmers to receive economic benefits from the management of soil carbon, but through a process that is based on sound scientific, economic and environmental principles.

“In contrast the Government’s carbon price will cut pollution and drive investment in a clean energy economy. Under our policy the largest polluters in Australia, numbering less than 1,000, will be required to pay for their pollution for the very first time. Every cent raised will then be used to assist households with price impacts, support jobs in the most affected industries and tackle climate change.”



what a joke rape the people (end user!!) to give them crumbs back,sh!tloads for consolidated revenue,another bucketload to administer it and send the rest overseas

Hey EINSTEIN...[smiley:crazy]

So it's not ok for Julia to waste Taxes on a dubious concept,

But it's ok for Tony RABBITT to pilliage billions from our taxes on the same dubious concept.

[smiley:crazy][smiley:crazy][smiley:crazy]

and btw the labor lies all are from questionable science


and no answer to sending   hundreds of millions every year overseas???

I'm just back from Europe this debate isn't even happening there. Climate change induced by humans and the need to tax carbon are considered established facts. The only people who don't believe in it are Creationists who think the earth is some 2000 years old!

*evidenced

No co-incidence that Abbott is an exterme religious nutter. imo

Unfortunately I don't think any current politician really has the guts to take the action needed to avert a catastrophe. Not until something more dramatic occurs (like say the flooding of London or New York) will they be able to implement policies that might and I stress might work.

established facts koala!! - what u smoking there bro?

thanks koala ...  interesting read too ... the following is about the Deltoid guy you quoted from your posted article ...

I'm a computer scientist in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. I don't blog about computer science very much but rather about areas of science with political implications such as global warming, the relationship between guns and crime and the use of DDT against malaria

but his comments like this ...

The left one shows the pattern predicted for doubling CO2 ... are all done from computer models koala ... refuting the refuter is what it's all about ...

the carbon tax is not about global warming ...
the carbon tax is not about climate change ...

... now try reading this ...

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/
latest/8916664/carbon-tax-billions-
to-help-poor-nations/

cheers koala ... i agree pal ... i'm not a climate scientist either .. and it's a tricky topic to get my head fully around

but i smell a rat ... if you know what i mean ...

and when the head honcho of the UN Climate team ... the guy that wrote the global warming manifesto in 2002 now says the globe has stopped warming 'and its a travesty that science can't explain why' ... i started looking deeper

i guess i believe this ... in full hope that those 'running the global show' know what they're doing ... but i always get back to asking myself this question ...

[i]do i really think ... for one second ... that if CO2 was irrefutably 'killing the planet' that our leaders at all levels wouldn't have us stop using the sources that create it ... TODAY ... and find an alternative THIS VERY MOMENT

.. to tax it ... is just cynical ... and does nothing for the environment that i can see

(hey, why don't we tax dubai ... they got sh!tloads of cash ... all oil fossil dollars ...  maybe they could kick in a few bill instead of buying thoroughbreds  [;)]

all the best & welcome back

Thebas..... love the Bobster.

Just check out the comments of the people at the bottom of my link. So many differing views it makes my head spin.

simple question though Jez - if it's going to have no benefit why do you support Abbott's policy???

Simple answer, wombleoz.

The Coalition's plan is DIRECT ACTION.  It means real initiatives with REAL results, like a massive tree-planting program - this has REAL environmental impact in the short-term and long-term.  Thats just one of hundreds of initiatives within the Coalition's policy.  It's available online and in FULL detail.  Costed fully by Budget Savings and Existing Revenue.

What I won't support, is a Carbon Dioxide Tax that Julia Gillard LIED about: that hurts working Australian's and the economy - and yields results in 1000 years. 

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, said Tony Abbott should explain how his Direct Action policy would achieve its objectives following criticism of its underlying assumptions by reputable scientific organisations such as CSIRO, the Australian Farm Institute and the Wentworth Group on Lateline last night.*


Key criticisms made of the Coalition’s Direct Action policy were that:

    The Coalition has severely underestimated the amount of land they would need to achieve their assertion that 150 million tonnes of carbon could be abated by soil carbon;

    They have overestimated the abatement that can be achieved through soil carbon processes; and

    They have neglected the fact that soil carbon is currently not recognised under the international accounting rules as contributing to our international commitments.


“Mr Hunt originally claimed that only 10,000 hectares of land would be needed to deliver 150 million tonnes of abatement per year, however CSIRO research indicates 500 million hectares could be needed – meaning Mr Hunt got this wrong by a factor of 50,000!”           Mr Combet said.


To put this in perspective Australia’s total cropland is currently around 26 million hectares and 500 million hectares is around 65% of the Australian land mass.


“The fact is that Tony Abbott’s Direct Action policy is an economic and environmental joke. It will not achieve the cuts in pollution we need to make, would not transform our economy, will create a $30 billion black hole in our budget and cost an average family $720 a year,” said Mr Combet.

Can you speak for yourself, AFL? 

Complete drivel from Greg Combet.  His the Labor Minister for Climate Change - of course his going to spin this nonsense.

He suggests a $700 cost to families which is farcical, considering the plan will be funded from existing revenue and budget savings.

Treasury figures today state the Carbon Dioxide tax will punish families, in real terms, by more than $860 dollars. 

I'd suggest these numbers are conservative.

lol womble ... and you didn't believe the wealth distribution scenario either ... baa baa baa

lmao womble ... can you believe it beat 'carbon date' home lol ... all a bit of fun pal

Wombleoz ignores the facts and just waffles. 
Koala is talking about Kevin Rudd's 2007 election win in justifying "climate action", ffs.

Conveniently we ignore Julia's pledge:
"There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead".

Oh and wombleoz, your right about the carbon price - apparently the Greens are hoping for over $40 a tonne.  So, working Australian's will be coughing up over $1500 a year - many of these people don't receive Centrelink and will not receive a brazoo.

When an argument or the FACTS are presented, wombleoz starts dribbling nonsense about "they'd argue the world is flat".....I mean 

So a Carbon Dioxide Tax will save us from "Climate Change" or "Global Warming" will it, wombleoz?  You say we must do something, but a tax that will take 1000 years to yield a result?  Is this about a tax or the environment?

We know this has always been about the TAX.

The watermelon that wombleoz really is, is shining through for all to see.

Direct Action is exactly that - its action with results you can see, a cleaner and greener environment.  A great big tax on everything gives nothing for the environment (with all monies apparently funnelled into compensation for Centrelink customers) but punishes working Australian's and the economy. [>o]

keep up the scare campaign Jez, keep ignoring the compensation and keep talking up direct action even though the numbers don't even go close to adding up