LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
THE government’s announcement of its 2030 target of 26 per cent reduction on 2005 emissions is way less than Obama’s plans for a 32 per cent reduction and Europe’s 40 per cent.
They suggest that this is in line with other similar countries much as they play fast and loose with baseless mantras about coal curing poverty and so on.
Victoria’s brown coal fired power stations are the nation’s worst carbon emitters and also major emitters of mercury, as well as dangerous fine particles.
Obama achieved significant progress, by mandating expensive scrubbers to reduce mercury, which led to the closure of some plants and cut carbon emissions.
Daniel Andrews could do worse than to follow suit.
The federal government’s underwhelming response for Paris, stinks of a win to the “Tea Party” element within Coalition ranks and their fossil fuelled lobbyists who provide them with talking points, designed to sound like facts, supporting continued investment in coal and gas. (Luckily society and even the banks are divesting as the share price of fossil fuelled companies continues to fall).
If we stopped burning fossil fuels, not only would we get healthier lungs and live longer, we could stop the emitted mercury from falling on our schools, our farms and the catchment of the Gippsland Lakes.
