Coal gets emissions free pass until 2033 - 生態環境討論

來源網址： http://tinyurl.com/yfr9tlz

The Canberra Times- Coal gets emissions free pass until 2033
BY ROSSLYN BEEBY SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTER 2009.10.20

Australia will not cut emissions from coal-fired power for at least 24 years
under the Rudd Government's proposed carbon trading scheme, a leading
economist says.

Instead, the scheme's polluter loopholes will force the Government to spend
millions buying carbon permits from developing countries to meet even modest
greenhouse targets, The Australia Institute's executive director Richard
Denniss said.

''The whole point of the scheme is not to reduce Australia's domestic
emissions but to import a large number of permits from developing
countries,'' he said.

Dr Denniss said Treasury modelling underpinning the scheme showed that while
the level of Australia's domestic greenhouse emissions was projected to
remain stable, ''over time the number of permits that we purchase from other
countries is projected to rise rapidly''.

Treasury data showed only a slight reduction in electricity generated from
black coal between 2010 and 2020.

This was not driven by the Government's carbon trading scheme but increased
investment in renewable energy as a result of the introduction of a 20 per
cent renewable energy target for electricity generation.

Over the same period, there was ''virtually no reduction'' in brown coal
electricity.


--