Isra-Mart srl: Australia Ignores 25 Huge Climate Change Realities

Australia, a world-leading per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) polluter, is currently having a major debate over how to “tackle climate change”, whether by a Carbon Tax and Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS ) mechanism (Labor Government) or through taxation-free Direct Action in areas of greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution reduction such as cleaner energy, biochar and re-afforestation (the Liberal Party-National Party Coalition Opposition). Both the Government and Opposition are agreed on a derisory “5% off 2000 Domestic GHG pollution by 2020” coupled with hugely expanding, world leading coal and liquid natural gas (LNG) exports. It is clear that neither of the major parties in disproportionately polluting, climate criminal Australia is serious about tackling climate change that may kill 10 billion people this century.

What is extraordinary in this Australian national debate is the near total exclusion from public discussion in Parliament and the Mainstream media of 25 science-based, Elephant in the Room matters relating to climate change action, notably. (1) Australia must get to zero GHG emissions before 2020 to do its “fair share” in the required global action to avoid a damaging 2 degree Centigrade temperature rise but in fact is set to massively increase its Domestic plus Exported GHG pollution in this period; (2) a Carbon Tax-driven coal to gas transition will result in a doubling of power industry-based GHG pollution; and (3) achieving zero emissions is not enough: atmospheric CO2 must be then reduced from the current 394 ppm to 300 ppm.

Look-the-other-way Australia simply ignores these enormous matters because it simply doesn't want to know. Australia is a world leader in annual per capita GHG pollution, coal exports and liquid natural gas (LNG) exports. Australia is intent on Business As Usual (BAU) until the World forces it stop its disproportionate GHG pollution of the one common atmosphere of all countries. It is increasingly likely that a climate criminal and climate racist Australia will eventually face boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), sporting bans (e.g. exclusion from the Olympics and the football and cricket World Cups), Green Tariffs, International Court of Justice (ICJ) litigations and International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutions.

Of course most Australians recognize man-made climate change as a major problem but recent polls suggest that only 40% of Australians are prepared to pay for GHG pollution reduction. This massive support for climate change inaction is due to Australia , like other English-speaking Western democracies being a Murdochcracy (Big Media determine popular perception of reality) and a Lobbyocracy (Big Money buys policy). However a major part of the problem lies in innate greed and self-interest and Australians conflating truth with convenient perception. One is reminded of Winston Churchill's shocking admission “I therefore adopted quite early in life a system of believing whatever I wanted to believe” (see Madhusree Mukerjee's recent book “Churchill's Secret War. The British Empire and the ravaging of India during World War II”