Don’t listen to shock jocks on carbon

 “The science” doesn’t exist. As for all contentious topics, there are a very wide range of interpretations put and views held by different scientists about the causes and mechanisms of climate change. “Cranks” are not an issue given that protagonists of the highest scientific quality can be found on all sides (and there are many more than two) of the public debate about global warming.

The best way to cut carbon pollution is to make up to 1000 of our biggest polluters pay for every tonne of carbon they generate. Not households. Not small businesses. Just the top 1000 polluters.

There is no carbon pollution, as particulate matter is filtered out prior to smoke stack venting at all modern industrial plants.

If the PM means “carbon dioxide pollution”, then she is wrong again, for carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Rather, it is an environmentally beneficial trace gas that underpins plant photosynthesis, and therefore most planetary food chains.

Imposing a carbon dioxide tax on large businesses will result in any unavoidable costs of that tax being passed straight down to ordinary consumers.  

We know some industries will pass some of these costs on to consumers, which is why we will give more than half of the money raised back to families.

And for how long will this largesse continue? And what about families that do not fall within the PM’s definition of being worthy to receive a refund?

The rest will go to supporting jobs in existing industries and creating new jobs by investing in clean energy and technology.

Studies in Europe show that for every new job created in the “clean energy” industry, between two and three jobs are destroyed.

Putting a price on carbon pollution means companies will look to cut that cost to their business by decreasing their pollution, so much so that we are confident our plan will reduce Australia's emissions by 160 million tonnes in 2020. This is equivalent to taking 50 million polluting cars off our roads in 2020.

No matter how many times the mantra is repeated, carbon dioxide emissions are not pollution, but, instead, help to green the planet.

For the first few years of the scheme the price per tonne of pollution paid by big polluters will be fixed, working effectively like a tax. After that, a cap will be put on the amount of pollution that these polluters can generate and a market will exist in which firms will buy and sell permits to emit a tonne of pollution.