Austrslian Big polluters should seek less protection and more carbon solutions

Friday, August 29, 2008
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged Global Warming

Leading social, union, environment and research organisations today called on big polluters to stop seeking unfair special deals and delays to action on climate change and get on with low carbon solutions. The Southern Cross Climate Coalition, a coalition of the ACTU, the Climate Institute, ACF and ACOSS, said the recent round of scaremongering from some big polluters was simply an attempt to shirk responsibilities for doing their fair share to tackle dangerous climate change and a grab for tax payer handouts.”Unfortunately some of the big polluting industries and corporations don’t want to take responsibility for reducing their emissions and are seeking exemptions from the carbon pollution reduction scheme. It is a selfish and short-sighted approach on their part,” ACTU president Sharan Burrow said.

“We want them to be part of the solution to a cleaner economy,” she said.

“The proposals from the BCA to have taxpayers fill the gap between a modest trajectory for Australian business and a credible global target just slugs the rest of us and future generations with a ballooning carbon debt and a high carbon economy,” CEO of the Climate Institute John Connor said.

“We need to act strongly on climate change now and the costs and benefits of action should be shared fairly across the community. ACOSS would be very concerned if the burden were to fall on lower income and disadvantaged households as a result of other sections of the community not pulling their weight ” Acting CEO of ACOSS Gregor Macfie said.

“Australians should be very wary about a few big polluters pleading for a golden handshake, because the silent majority of Australian businesses will benefit from a strong, broadly based emissions trading scheme,” said ACF executive director Don Henry.

Prism Webcast News