Isramart : Greens push interim carbon scheme to break ETS deadlock

Isramart news:
ELEANOR HALL: In Australia, the Greens are proposing a two-year interim emissions trading scheme in a bid to break the political deadlock in Canberra.

The Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is promising to reveal his plan to cut greenhouse gases without a trading scheme and there's little prospect of the Government getting its ETS legislation through the Senate.

In Canberra, Alexandra Kirk reports.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Greens are writing to Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott and key senators.

CHRISTINE MILNE: We have to break the deadlock in Australia. It is very clear that the Government doesn't have support for its carbon pollution reduction scheme, but it is equally clear that we must introduce a price on carbon so that we start to rein in Australia's emissions from fossil fuels.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Senator Christine Milne says someone has to get things moving.

CHRISTINE MILNE: The Greens are proposing, as an interim two-year measure starting in July this year, that we introduce a $20 carbon price. Now that is what Professor Garnaut argued when he released his report saying that you could do this for an interim period. It would give us the breathing space to be able to negotiate a rigorous target, to negotiate some of the aspects of the emissions trading scheme that we don't agree with the Government on.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: There's no global climate deal and the Federal Government's legislation appears doomed. Just before it's put to the Senate again next month, Tony Abbott will reveal how he'd cut emissions without putting a price on carbon. That would set the election battleground but that's about all.

CHRISTINE MILNE: We are living currently in a political environment where nothing is happening in Australia in terms of a carbon price and our domestic emissions are rising.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Putting a $20 price tag on carbon, $20 a tonne, what's that going to do to emissions do you think?

CHRISTINE MILNE: Well based on the modelling done to date, the Greens believe that it would halt the growth in emissions, turn it around and reduce emissions by a small amount, probably in the vicinity of 2 per cent.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Greens say their plan would generate $5-billion to compensate households, with the same amount for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Unlike Kevin Rudd's scheme, it would be in surplus from the start, there'd be no compensation for the coal and electricity sectors and less assistance for high emitting industries.

Senator Milne says she hopes Ross Garnaut, who was the Government's key climate change adviser, will endorse the strategy.

AM was unable to contact him, but Dr Frank Jotzo, an adviser to the original Garnaut Review, believes the Greens' plan will deliver business the certainty it wants and start cutting emissions.

FRANK JOTZO: Look, this is a very sensible proposal. It was first suggested by Professor Garnaut to start the emissions trading scheme system with a fixed price and I believe it's even more relevant now in the political deadlock that we're finding in Parliament.

ELEANOR HALL: Dr Frank Jotzo from the Australian National University with Alexandra Kirk.