Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Garnaut climate report a recipe for disaster

Ross Garnaut's latest climate change report, commissioned by the Australian Government, has recommended low carbon emission targets that would mean the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage area.

Now, a group of Australian scientists, members of the UN climate change panel, have condemned Garnaut for advising the government to accept "social and environmental disaster".

Garnaut had recommended a 10% cut from 2000 levels by 2020. The scientists have called for a 25 to 40% reduction in that time. And you could hardly call them radical environmental activists. More like... scientists, professors, doctors.

Professor David Karoly said Australia would abandon any claim to international leadership if it adopted the Garnaut position.

And Professor Amanda Lynch said Australia needed a strong carbon price to help discourage coal-fired power.

Dr Bill Hare: "Ross Garnaut's report is effectively putting off the cost of climate change to another generation, who will have to deal with a 3-degree rise in temperature".

News report here.

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