We could see this disappointment coming a mile off. First, Professor Ross Garnaut's report tells us the global warming problem is dire and demands immediate response, but then, he comes to the diabolical conclusion that we should leave the solution to a dodgy market mechanism: carbon pollution permit trading. Now, the Rudd Labor government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper on this all-important challenge offers to hand the biggest carbon polluting companies free permits to pollute.
Is this a sick joke?
On top of this we have the added disappointment of seeing the weak and vague criticism from the peak environmental bodies and Green Senator Christine Milne of this outrageous green paper.
The future of the world is under unprecedented threat from "market forces" and yet these "greens" cannot imagine going beyond the bounds of this rotten system based on greed and ruthless exploitation. How sad it is to see how people who should know better have allowed their horizons to be lowered to such sorry levels.
Who will dare speak the simple truth about the solutions we need immediately to confront global warming? Who will say that the federal government, which boasted in its last budget that it has net negative debt, could easily borrow the hundreds of billions urgently needed for social investment in renewable energy generation to phase out coal-fired power stations and expand public transport?
When Australian capitalists failed to build a national rail network, Australian governments did not hesitate to make the massive investment then needed. They repaid the borrowed sums off over many generations. But today we face a much more serious challenge in global warming and the politicians are offering us the dodgiest carbon trading scam you could imagine. All they are bickering about is the timing and the amount of "compensation" for the powerful corporate forces that have held the environment to ransom.
Well, Green Left Weekly has the guts and reponsibility to raise these demands, and our supporters are working tirelessly to build the broadest possible alliances around campaigning for these urgent demands.
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