Greens Ready to Adopt Strong Emissions Targets
Wednesday 11 May 2011
The Australian Greens remain 100% committed to using all methods
possible to implement science-based emissions reduction targets, despite
misleading reports in today's press
"The Greens work every day inside and outside the Parliament to do
everything we can to get Australia on track to achieving the pollution
cuts we need to tackle the climate crisis," Australian Greens Deputy
Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
It was the Government's refusal to budge beyond a 5% reduction by 2020
in greenhouse gas emissions that led the Greens in January 2010 to
propose a compromise approach to start transforming the economy by
introducing a trading scheme with a fixed price until an agreement on
targets can be reached.
"If we cannot get agreement on responsible targets in an emissions
trading scheme, the best way to make this happen is by introducing a
price signal to start the process towards transforming our economy from
polluting coal to clean, renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency,
protecting forests, creating jobs and more.
"The idea that the fixed price period will be without a target is old
news, frankly, as that is what we are working to achieve with the
current negotiations.
"The whole point of the hybrid model to put a price on pollution, teamed
with policies to drive renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean
transport and more, is to get Australia moving on building a new clean
economy and come back to agree on targets further down the track.
"Once the scheme is operating from July 1 next year with a fixed and
rising price, we can return to negotiating targets. When that succeeds,
trading will follow.
"This process is set out in the Carbon Price Framework Agreement agreed
between The Greens and the Government and announced in February this
year.
"Critically, when it comes time to transition from a fixed price to a
trading scheme, we will have the experience of carbon pricing and enough
investment will have been made in the right direction to take on the
truly ambitious, science-based targets that we need in order to tackle
the climate crisis.
"To suggest that this approach demonstrates the Greens shelving our
ambitious targets is patently wrong.
"What we need now is both the Government and the Coalition to be upfront
about the ambition of the targets that will be necessary to constrain
global warming to below 2 degrees. That is well above a 5% target."
Tim Hollo
Media Adviser
Senator Christine Milne | Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Climate
Change Spokesperson
Suite SG-112 Parliament House, Canberra ACT | P: 02 6277 3588 | M: 0437
587 562
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