November 27th 2009
Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FLAWED ETS MUST BE DEFERRED
“The flawed emissions trading scheme legislation currently before the senate must be deferred until
after the Copenhagen summit” said William Kininmonth, science advisor to the Australian Climate
Science Coalition.
“Political uncertainty that has emerged
in the last 24 hours shows that many of Australia’s politicians
have grave doubts this legislation is in Australia’s best interests. There is a need for breathing space to
consider the ramifications.
Deferring the bill until after the Copenhagen summit is the sensible position to adopt given the
uncertainty of the global response to reducing greenhouse gas emissions” said Mr Kininmonth.
Frontier Economics modelling shows that the recently revised scheme will result in a $3.7billion deficit
compared to a $2.1 billion surplus forecast in regard to the earlier proposals put to the government by
the opposition.
It is widely accepted that there will be no environmental benefits from a scheme that aims for a five per
cent cut in emissions, especially if adopted unilaterally; there are certainly large costs to be borne by
the Australian economy.
“Given the changing sentiment within the electorate as expressed in a series of recent polls, the
uncertain science underpinning now non-existent global warming and the lack of commitment by major
economies, this bill should be deferred.
We call upon the senate to act in the national interest and defer this bill until after the Copenhagen
summit” concluded Mr Kininmonth.
-
ENDS -
The Australian Climate Science Coalition, is an affiliate of the International Climate Science Coalition
and was formed by a group of scientists and professional people interested in encouraging continued
scientific research into the world’s climate and in particular into the effects of increased concentrations
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The mission of the ACSC is to promote open scientific debate on
the causes of climate change. ACSC is an apolitical, not for profit, science advisory group. For more
ACSC Executive Director: Max Rheese 0428 621 320 Email: info@auscsc.org.au
William Kininmonth 0418 376 236
William Kininmonth is a meteorologist and former head of Australia’s National Climate Centre. He was Australian delegate
to the World Meteorological Organization’s Commission for Climatology (1982-98), including two terms on its management
board. William Kininmonth is author of the book, Climate Change: A Natural Hazard (2004, Multi-science Publishing Co,
UK).
NEWS 
