[Peakoil] ACT emissions target...the worlds highest emitters.

[Keith Thomas]

Markus does some good material - remember his piece on how the rising 
cost of fuel was affecting the economies of our coastal resorts and 
those of towns en route.  He'd be worth cultivating.

I hope the ACT government's figures include the carbon emitted 
elsewhere in Australia by the manufacture and transport of goods we 
import into the ACT. For example, we don't produce cement here and yet 
cement production is a huge emitter of CO2. When a Canberran flies to 
Europe and back, does the CO2 emitted for the whole route come onto our 
tally sheet?

I don't know the answer to these questions, but it will be well to keep 
this sort of perspective in mind when the scoffers criticize the 
government's figures.

The important thing will be to pick the low-hanging fruit urgently - 
beginning seriously in 2006. 2050 sound a bit ho-hum and discussion 
papers can be a way of postponing action. It's certainly a way of 
avoiding leadership.
--------------------------------------------
Keith Thomas
www.evfit.com
--------------------------------------------
On 12/03/2006, at 1:05 PM, roland mccall wrote:

> In today's sunday times.
>
> It says that Canberrans are the worst emitters in the county a 
> very alarming fact as we Australians also are happen to be the highest 
> emitters per capita in the world. It the figure is right it means that 
> we Canberrans share the damming statistic of per capita being the 
> HIGHEST EMITTERS IN THE WORLD which is a very shocking fact.
>
> Surely we can do better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> ACT emissions target
> Markus Mannheim
> Sunday, 12 March 2006
> CANBERRANS, Australia's worst polluters, will be given six weeks to 
> consider how they should reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
> The ACT Government is expected to issue two discussion papers tomorrow 
> to canvass ideas for a new climate change strategy and energy policy.
> The final policies are likely to be ready by the end of the year.
> ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope abandoned the previous government's 
> greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, which had been described as 
> "world leading", in December, saying they belonged in "cloud cuckoo 
> land".
> He estimated the targets would have cost $114million to implement.
> The new discussion papers accept that some climate change is now 
> inevitable, and seek community views on ways to both cope with the 
> consequences and reduce Canberrans' dependence. The papers discuss a 
> possible new emission reduction target of 60per cent by 2050, and also 
> seek views on which renewable energy sources should be developed 
> further in the ACT.
> Canberrans are responsible for the highest greenhouse emissions per 
> person in the country, and are more dependent on cars than residents 
> in most other cities. The ACT Opposition and environmental groups are 
> expected to criticise the Government for issuing discussion papers 
> instead of enforcing energy cuts.
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