Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to a group of diplomats, the EU and USA will punish Australia with carbon sanctions if we don’t play their climate game. But the weak response to Russia suggests this is an empty bluff.
Australian action climate change and why our national security and future prosperity rely on it
By Janaline Oh
April 18 2022 – 5:30amAustralia’s future prosperity and national security will depend on lifting its game on climate action. Over 100 former Australian ambassadors, high commissioners, trade commissioners, diplomats and development specialists issued a climate-focused foreign policy in December 2021, calling on the government to take immediate, ambitious steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to restore Australia’s international standing on this issue.
Diplomats for Climate Action Now recently signed a joint letter, with four other professional groups, asking the incoming prime minister to make climate action the government’s top priority through a national mobilisation.
Why would we do this? The job of a diplomat is to represent the government of the day abroad, to understand our international partners and to advise the Australian government on how best to prosecute its policies. We do not usually weigh into domestic policy debates.
But climate change is not a domestic issue. It is a global issue which poses a significant threat to Australia’s national security and future economic prosperity. We have seen the effects of climate change in abundance over recent years, with drought, the devastating Black Summer and recent Western Australian bushfires, and catastrophic flooding in Queensland and NSW.
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In fact, Australia can benefit from our potential to generate cheap and abundant renewable energy to create a sustainable, high productivity, export economy. Australia’s reliance on raw commodity exports has led to heavy dependence on a single market: Australia sends more product by value to China than to the six next largest export destinations.
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The European Union and United States are now preparing to apply carbon border adjustment taxes – effectively a carbon price on imports from countries that are not taking effective measures against climate change. We will have a carbon price imposed on Australian goods, but it will not accrue to the benefit of the Australian people.
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Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7701834/national-security-and-future-prosperity-rely-on-climate-action/
The open letter from the diplomats (link);
Given how weak and pathetic the EU leaderships’ response to Russia has been, the EU’s utter dependence on resource imports, my challenge to EU leaders about carbon border taxes is – bring it on.
Right now shipments of abundant Australian natural gas are steaming towards EU ports. There are plenty of other customers who would love to receive that gas, the entire world is currently suffering a capacity shortfall. If EU leaders don’t want our fossil fuel, let us know, so we can divert our ships elsewhere.
As for the USA, even if Biden does manage to impose carbon border taxes on Australia which drive up prices for US consumers, I don’t think we will have long to wait until they are repealed.
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I had to suggest that ‘black face’ (Canada) was a complete idiot in terms of attacking his own people.
Aus is about second or third in that league. What are these idiots thinking?
There is a reason that US/UK/AUS are part of a new alliance. AUS may be getting kicked out soon. CAN was never considered for some reason.
Meanwhile, in Australia, a couple of coal units are out of action, and electricity prices are heading upwards.
https://joannenova.com.au/2022/04/australian-electricity-price-doubles-ceo-explains-prices-up-due-to-lack-of-coal-power/
One can only imagine what will happen when they intentionally shut down a few more of those old reliable coal fired turbines.
What is desperately needed down here are some new reliable coal fired turbines, but the political climate is now so moronically challenged by the anti-CO2 yappers, that those are unlikely to eventuate.
Australia should to look after the needs of current people..
.. not ‘former” people, they are irrelevant,
.. and almost certainly living high on government pensions.
A bigger threat to Australia is kowtowing to international demands for how we run our country.
Ok lets just have a look at their ”concern” here….
”We are a group of former Australian diplomats concerned about Australia’s current lack of commitment to time-bound targets to achieve rapid reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and the implications this has for the climate and environment we bequeath to future generations.”
So. Let’s presume Australia is responsible for 5% of the 1 degree C rise in global temperature over the last century. (we all know that’s complete nonsense of course but let’s go with it)
That means AU has caused 0.05 degrees C (1/20 of 1C) over 100 years. So if we cut our emissions by 100% TODAY, we would reduce the temp by that much. If we cut our emissions by 50% over the next say 10 years, we would reduce the terrifying heating of the planet by…. 0.025 or 1/40th of 1 degree over the next decade. I think the math is correct but regardless, you would have to admit, it’s a stupendous amount. Well worthy of a letter to the PM!
Australia needs to repair its relationship with China. Without asking the US for permission.
You need to think that through again.
So they couldn’t get a Scientist stupid enough to stick his head out?
And I note they are no longer calling for us to save the climate but instead to “to restore Australia’s international standing” – i.e. to get in good with the political types bent on destroying Western civilisation.
I thought we were supposed to follow the science, not suck up to politicians and bureaucrats.
I am a retired Trade commissioner and nobody asked me!!’
Looks like i have been cancelled.
All woke BS stirred by people who never had a real job.
I had to show one how to open a bank account , and buy a car in a foreign country.
And the stories I know about some of them would make your hair curl, but cannot be published due to the possibility of being sued.
quoting Victoria newland
F the EU
bad enough japan n china get our lpg cheaply
while aussies are paying near 1$ for lpg car fuel and being told of shortfalls in supply for us at home.
What a mountainous load of utter manure.
The only thing that “poses a significant threat to Australia’s national security and future economic prosperity” is their proposed (NON) “solution” to the imaginary “crisis,” which will do orders of magnitude more damage to Australia’s (or any country stupid enough to embrace such economic suicide) “national security” and “future economic prosperity.”