17 September 2010

Your input wanted into a clean economy

| johnboy
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Jon Stanhope is asking for your submissions into a University of Canberra framework document on a “clean economy” for the ACT.

“This scoping study is the first step towards the development of an evidence-based clean economy strategy that will enable the Government to deliver on its vision for a sustainable and progressive regional economy,” Mr Stanhope said. “The strategy will support our commitment towards a zero emissions city by 2060 and guide forward-thinking organisations, community groups and individuals on how they might contribute.

“It will build on the work being undertaken by the ACT’s research sector which underlines our city’s capability to develop, adopt and in some cases export clean technologies.

Your thoughts can be emailled to cleaneconomy@act.gov.au before 10 November.

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Yes affordable, at 2060 all those unfortunates that have not merged with machine will be dutifully and rightfully euthanased.

zero emissions, am I correct in stating that we humans breathe Oxygen and produce carbon

canbe said :

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

It appears that this “carbon tax” is to be the new tax battleground for this decade which we have to rise up against and ensure it is defeated.

A price on Carbon is only percieved as a “tax” because for time immemorial environmental, econmoic and social degradation that which is not immediate has not been factored in to business models.

Exactly. It used to be that a fishing boat could go out, catch as much as it could for free, then come back and sell it. Now they have to pay government licence fees, have maximum quotas imposed, which all add costs. The fishing industry has changed, but it is still there.

Making businesses factor the costs to society of pumping out pollution isn’t a new thing. Over the last couple of hundreds of years, people have worked out that allowing companies to dump any waste they want in a river, while helping then make a profit, imposes a cost on everyone down stream.

If a blanket carbon cost was universally imposed right now, it would cause huge disruption to the status quo. Some businesses currently making profits would no longer be able to, and would fail. Other businesses would benefit from the removal of those companies from the marketplace. New companies would exploit opportunities to make profits created by the system.

The economists are worried that this disruption would be bad, and it certainly would be for some people (i wouldn’t want to be mining brown coal). Hopefully the disruption and shake up of the market could be minimized by introducing they system gradually.

The real catch though is that such a system will only affect the jurisdiction of the country in question. But the benefit of introducing it (unless you deny climate change totally) is spread over the entire planet, and if enough of the rest of the world don’t join in, there may be no benefit at all.

It is a interesting global question, and I seriously doubt anything the ACT govt does will make much difference in the long run. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

It appears that this “carbon tax” is to be the new tax battleground for this decade which we have to rise up against and ensure it is defeated.

A price on Carbon is only percieved as a “tax” because for time immemorial environmental, econmoic and social degradation that which is not immediate has not been factored in to business models.

Do we call wages, rent, produce, uniforms etc. a tax?

caf said :

Does a “clean economy” mean the end of the porn industry?

Or maybe just a return to condoms made of sheep intestines.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster11:28 am 18 Sep 10

canbe said :

If we get behind it we (Canberra) might not get left behind the rest of Australia and the rest of the world.

A price on carbon will happen, so let’s be on the front foot.

A price on carbon is an overhead like any other that hasn’t yet been enforced. Think of a price on carbon as the slave trade before abolition or the use of land before the tragedy of the commons or rent or license requirements for a liquor seller or wood for a carpenter.

It’s not rocket science.

It appears that this “carbon tax” is to be the new tax battleground for this decade which we have to rise up against and ensure it is defeated. In the 1980s and 1990s it was the GST – a battle we eventually lost. In the 2000s when obesity became an issue it was the so-called “fat tax” – an extra tax on all foods deemed unhealthy. We eventually won that fight. Now in the 2010s the green Establishment is pushing the carbon tax – a punitive impost which will push up the price of electricity and petrol putting essential services out of reach of those least able to afford it. We have to once again rise up and ensure that these po-faced pointy heads don’t get their way and put our modern, contemporary lifestyle at risk.

georgesgenitals11:20 am 18 Sep 10

Waiting For Godot said :

canbe said :

If we get behind it we (Canberra) might not get left behind the rest of Australia and the rest of the world.

A price on carbon will happen, so let’s be on the front foot.

A price on carbon is an overhead like any other that hasn’t yet been enforced. Think of a price on carbon as the slave trade before abolition or the use of land before the tragedy of the commons or rent or license requirements for a liquor seller or wood for a carpenter.

It’s not rocket science.

Please tell me this post is a gee-up. Surely it can’t be serious?

You may be surprised how many people actually believe this.

Waiting For Godot11:13 am 18 Sep 10

canbe said :

If we get behind it we (Canberra) might not get left behind the rest of Australia and the rest of the world.

A price on carbon will happen, so let’s be on the front foot.

A price on carbon is an overhead like any other that hasn’t yet been enforced. Think of a price on carbon as the slave trade before abolition or the use of land before the tragedy of the commons or rent or license requirements for a liquor seller or wood for a carpenter.

It’s not rocket science.

Please tell me this post is a gee-up. Surely it can’t be serious?

georgesgenitals8:06 pm 17 Sep 10

canbe said :

It’s not rocket science.

Actually, is IS pretty difficult to come up with a model that achieves environmental aims without damaging business too badly. And before we get all up in arms about business being ‘too rich anyway’, think about what has happened in many other countries when business went bad over the past few years. Not nice at all, and lots of people (who didn’t have nice secure government jobs) lost homes and sometimes couldn’t eat.

At the moment, we need lots of thought on how our aims can be achieved. This is not about being ‘ahead’ or ‘behind’ the rest of the world – its about all of us marching in the right direcion together.

That said, I seriously doubt the Stanhope govt has the intelligence or resolve to come up with anything beyond simply being seen to be doing the right thing by the uneducated masses.

Amazing.

While we are painting out the “by 2010” on our waste removal vehicles we are looking for ideas on how to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

What if we end travel by non MLA’s, i.e. stop flying partners (supernumary) around the world business class for no purpose. Not likely.

Jon seriously risks blindless with such meaningless drivel.

If we get behind it we (Canberra) might not get left behind the rest of Australia and the rest of the world.

A price on carbon will happen, so let’s be on the front foot.

A price on carbon is an overhead like any other that hasn’t yet been enforced. Think of a price on carbon as the slave trade before abolition or the use of land before the tragedy of the commons or rent or license requirements for a liquor seller or wood for a carpenter.

It’s not rocket science.

I wonder how they budget the carbon emissions for a bridge project? You know, incase one falls down.

(Hell, it does also talk about “zero emissions” – it’s definitely about shutting down the porn industry!)

Does a “clean economy” mean the end of the porn industry?

Wait, that’s what clean economy means? I thought he was going to put all the economists in an enormous bubble bath and make them wrestle!

Evidence-based? Not with this govt.

And as for zero emissions by 2060… I thought we were to have no waste by 2010…!

More enviro-bullshit. What a waste…

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